The Culture Lab
How to Overcome a Can’t-Do Attitude in Your Team
Counterintuitive advice on how to break dysfunctional patterns and re-write the cultural algorithms that stall your progress.
If you’ve ever tried to build something awesome with a group of people, chances are you’ve also had the following experience at some point:
You rush to build your product, go to market, grow further and faster, overcome some seemingly insurmountable challenge. Whatever it is — you know in your heart of hearts that you can do it.
But suddenly… you bump against a barrier you didn’t anticipate.
Your team tells you:
“This can’t be done.”
When it happens for the first time, it can stop you in your tracks and knock the wind out of you.
“Of course it can be done!” — you want to scream. But instead, you choose to be civil. You convince, cajole and plead. When that doesn’t work, you do what you are best at — you find the solution yourself. Then, you push the team even harder to implement it.
Reenact this scenario on a few more occasions, and suddenly you find yourself trapped in an infuriating pattern:
