Imagine I gave you pasta, marshmallows, tape, and some string, and told you to build the tallest tower possible in 45 minutes. As a business leader, how would you do? Certainly better than a 5-year-old, right?
But when researchers actually tried this experiment, pitting kindergartners against CEOs, lawyers, and MBA students, it was the kids that came out on top, building towers averaging 26 inches tall, compared to 22 inches for the bosses. Business school students fared worst, reaching only a puny 10 inches.
Action beats deliberation.
You could read this story as an adorable illustration of the scrappiness and creativity of kids. And indeed, children are legendarily fearless and imaginative. But according to entrepreneur and author Luni Libes, who wrote about the experiment on his blog recently, there’s a far more actionable lesson leaders can take from the tale of the pasta towers.
Read the rest at inc.com