The Fish Tank Factor
Related Resource

The Leader's Digest
The Leader's DigestIf you buy a little goldfish and keep it in a small bowl it will remain no bigger than a few inches long. Move that same fish to a large aquarium and it will double or triple in size. Put the goldfish in a large pond and it can grow up to a foot long! The biggest factor that determines the size of the fish is the size of its environment.

Managers see people as they are and treat them according to what they see. A manager would take a small goldfish and keep it in the little bowl because it would be inefficient and wasteful to put it in a larger environment. Leaders, on the other hand, see people as they could be. A leader takes a small goldfish and puts it in a larger tank because it would be ineffective and wasteful of the fish’s potential to keep it in a confined environment.

Leaders provide a bigger environment by delegating autonomy. Strong leaders are strong coaches. They clarify performance targets, develop skills and abilities, reinforce progress, and build on strengths.

How big is your fish tank?
 Rate how true the following statements are for our team:



1-Very True   3-Somewhat True   5- Not at All True

  1. We use dehumanizing language like “head count,” “human capital,” “my people,” etc.
  2. We try to “mass grow” people with the same development approach for everyone.
  3. People in our organization have little autonomy and feel micromanaged.
  4. We spend most of our time in operational problem solving.
  5. We constantly go for quick fixes rather than involving staff in finding root causes.
  6. We rely heavily on top-down command and control to get things done.
  7. We’re more a group of ‘lone rangers’ than facilitators and coaches.
  8. We tend to have negative expectations and beliefs about most people in our organization.
Score
8 - 19 Points Small Fish
20 – 29 points –Bowl Medium Fish Tank
30 - 40 Points - Large Fish Tank
 
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