Throw a frog into boiling water and he jumps out. Put a frog in cold water, slowly increase the temperature and he cooks! The frog gets conditioned to the increase in temperature because it occurs in small increments over a longer period of time.
I’ve never proven out this frog theory, nor will I, but I have witnessed the relevance of this conditioning in many business and personal situations.
Some examples of the frog conditioning that jump to mind.
Filling Roles. It is good practice to have a mix of internal promotions and outside hires in leadership roles. Existing employees have hands on experience while new hires have no conditioning which promotes new thinking, useful to drive change.
Most work accidents occur because complacency sets in over time. Familiarity and conditioning.
The first 100 days following a new CEO’s appointment are often a measured milestone, the time period before the impacts of conditioning set in.
In sport, small changes in key routines slowly creep in over time, and cannot be recognized by the player himself. The reason for a coach.
Ever bought a house and decided in the moment of purchase stuff you would change? If the change is not made within the first 3-6 months it’s unlikely that it will ever be done, sometimes for good reason but mostly because of conditioning. Getting used to living with it.
Most people are stunned by the detail which they can see when getting a pair of glasses for the first time because their vision had deteriorated slowly over a long period of time, and those minute daily accumulations of deterioration were not recognizable.
Habits are said to account for up to 80% of our every day actions. That stuff that we carry out subconsciously. Bad habits creep in over a period of time with an accumulation of small changes that we do not recognize (conditioning). A good reason for a coach.
The most critical period of conditioning is the first 5-7 years of childhood when we absorb everything from our parents and the environment; and without a developed conscience we cannot distinguish between good and bad. These habits are the most difficult to unlearn because they were subconsciously learned. Difficult to unlearn without intervention, but not impossible with help and being open and prepared to change.
Think Bigg-r 