Remember the circus act where atop the giant elephant is a little guy with a switch? He directs the elephant here and there, but we all know that if the elephant decided to run amok, the rider would be powerless to control him. Within each of us there is a rider and an elephant. Our rider is our logical self– sometimes referred to as the silent CEO. Our rider is calm and thoughtful. The rider sees the big picture and and understands the relationship between cause and effect. Our rider is open, appreciative and in the flow. Our rider is self-aware. And, our elephant brings life, energy and forcefulness to the rider. The rider can’t make progress without the elephant. But, when we let our motions run amok, our elephant micromanages, procrastinates, makes tactless remarks, becomes demanding, over reacts, finds fault, talks too much and fails to listen. When agitated, our elephant is impatient, unappreciative and unfocused.
Action Strategy: Recognize the times when your elephant is out of control and work to put the rider back in charge.
We recommend: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard
