doing the same thing…

…and expecting different results is a quote many of us may have heard over the years. It’s usually attributed to Albert Einstein as a definition of insanity, but the real author of the phrase is apparently Rita Mae Brown from her 1983 book, ‘Sudden Death.’

On a similar trajectory but in a different context, Twyla Tharp once stated, “If you only do what you know and do it very, very well, chances are that you won’t fail. You’ll just stagnate, and your work will get less and less interesting, and that’s failure by erosion.”

Though Twyla Tharp was speaking from a dance and creative perspective, there is personal and work-related relevance we can glean from both her and Rita Mae Brown’s quotes.

The work mantra for the last number of years has been to focus on strengths with a seeming implication to ignore or minimize a focus on weaknesses. Though probably a great idea for productivity or just getting through the day, it doesn’t seem to be a great strategy for personal or professional growth. 

Abandoning everything one does, or knows how to do, for the sake of growth would also be an unuseful strategy in the opposite direction. 

A useful way forward might be to find a little time and locate a weakness or two one could work on, take back a small part of one’s job that is usually given over to someone else, or put oneself in situations or take on a project where a stretch is needed. 

If we keep delegating or handing off work we think we’re not good at, we’ll probably never grow beyond where we already are. 

And in a world that is changing and evolving ever more quickly, this may be the quintessential mindset of personal and professional insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results.

One of the best things I’ve encountered this week is Nassim Taleb’s 2016 Keynote address on ‘What it takes to be antifragile.’

PS: This blog post was thought of and written by me, no AI here, and is a mosaic of my experience, reading, and forward learning.