Why we shouldn't take ourselves too serious.
It's probably no secret that most business leaders and managers take themselves far too seriously. It's not that what's being done and accomplished isn't important, but it's the attitude while pursuing success that can be our downfall.
Walton said one time: “I always prided myself on breaking everybody else’s rules, and I always favored the mavericks who challenged my rules.”
The reason why Walton was willing to break everyone's rules, while appreciating those within Wal-Mart that challenged his rules also, was that he didn't take himself too seriously. He took the business and serving customers seriously, but not himself.
Why this can be a problem is we can take the rules that we make to address an existing circumstance, and we can become personally attached to them. When we become emotionally attached to them, if someone challenges them, we take the challenge as an attack upon us, and not a simple challenge to improving things in the business.
Taking ourselves too seriously is part of the problem in this happening. If we attach ourselves to rules because we're the ones that instituted them at the time, we create an enormous barrier to improvement because many people may hesitate to offer their ideas because we take their suggestions as personal attacks upon ourselves.
When we take a light approach to our positions and the business, it creates an atmosphere where change can happen as ideas are allowed to flow freely.
One practical thing we can do is be willing to laugh at ourselves and not be afraid to point out our own mistakes. This type of attitude will filter throughout our organizations and make work a much more enjoyable place to be.
Walton not only believed this type of attitude would increase productivity, which it did, but would also make his competitors believe he was just goofing off and not too serious about succeeding. It worked tremendously for Walton and Wal-Mart (WMT).
Other Sam Walton Sources:
Sam Walton: 10 Rules for Building a Successful Business
Sam Walton - Retail Success Story
Sam Walton: King Of The Discounters
Sam Walton: Great From the Start
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