The Monkey Trap
By Enrique Bekerman
In certain parts of the world a common
method of capturing monkeys is to use their
own instincts against them.
A simple basket is set-up with a piece of
banana or other fruit placed so that it can
be seen across the weave of the basket.
The monkey steps into the basket and puts
his hand through one of the openings.
The monkey grabs the fruit, but when trying
to retrieve it; his closed fist is too large to
make it through the opening. Of course the monkey could simply open its
fist and abandon the fruit to free itself from the trap, but it stubbornly holds
the fruit in its closed fist until the trappers come around to capture it.
How often are we trapped by stubborn behavior similar to that of the
monkey by holding on to things we shouldn’t hold on to?
Stubbornly hanging on to the familiar, the secure, or the instantly
pleasurable without exploring the alternatives, can unfortunately leave us
without alternatives at all; that is, we are left to suffer a similar fate to that of
the monkey.
Authored by: Enrique Bekerman,
Quality Manufacturing Associates, February, 2003.
www.webuildqualitytogether.com
email: qma109@yahoo.com
By Enrique Bekerman
In certain parts of the world a common
method of capturing monkeys is to use their
own instincts against them.
A simple basket is set-up with a piece of
banana or other fruit placed so that it can
be seen across the weave of the basket.
The monkey steps into the basket and puts
his hand through one of the openings.
The monkey grabs the fruit, but when trying
to retrieve it; his closed fist is too large to
make it through the opening. Of course the monkey could simply open its
fist and abandon the fruit to free itself from the trap, but it stubbornly holds
the fruit in its closed fist until the trappers come around to capture it.
How often are we trapped by stubborn behavior similar to that of the
monkey by holding on to things we shouldn’t hold on to?
- In team settings we stubbornly hold on to our opinions without
being open to the ideas of others.
- We hold on to the first solution to a problem without exploring
alternate approaches that could potentially bring better results.
- We also hold on to destructive behaviors; instead of letting go, and
obtaining the freedom that comes from such a release.
- We tend to be trapped by the financial rewards of our jobs even
when we are not getting any satisfaction.
Stubbornly hanging on to the familiar, the secure, or the instantly
pleasurable without exploring the alternatives, can unfortunately leave us
without alternatives at all; that is, we are left to suffer a similar fate to that of
the monkey.
Authored by: Enrique Bekerman,
Quality Manufacturing Associates, February, 2003.
www.webuildqualitytogether.com
email: qma109@yahoo.com
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