Make the Button Work

We are remarkably prone to believing we're doing something, when in reality we're not. I was reminded of this when reading a passage in John Elkington's remarkable and compelling "Green Swans"

When we want to cross the road, we press the button. If we're really impatient we'll press it several times. So will the person arriving after us. And the one after her. We don't think about it.

But does it actually do anything? Often, it doesn't. The button feels like it works, but it's not connected to anything. The crossing lights are determined by something else altogether - nothing to do with the button, but it let's us think we are in control.

Much of what we do day to day, at work and at home operates on the same principle, from leadership training to dieting. We do the course, or eat the salad and feel we've done the right thing, but we're not connected.

We learn about leadership, but don't practice it because it goes against the existing culture. We may have been trained, but those on the o…