Goldfish Grow to the Size of Their Bowl

We are all goldfish.

Throughout my career, I have had to activate teams to achieve big objectives… with limited resources while keeping people motivated and healthy. As I was problem-solving in one particular situation, I started to think about goldfish.

The truth about goldfish is, of course, more nuanced. But- the idea got my mind working. None of us had time. We were under pressure. I could not possibly micro-manage and be involved in everything. So, I tried an experiment. I examined the situation and allowed myself to visualize all of us as goldfish in bigger bowls. We didn’t have time to be involved in everything, so the responsibility of every person grew and the touchpoints for reporting in shrunk.

The Pygmalion Effect tells us that people will rise or fall to the level of expectation. I was putting this to the test. Connecting to my foundation for people development in autonomy, mastery, and purpose, I set my expectations for each person and our team high. I gave everybody a bigger bowl. While I made myself available for support- I also held each person accountable to the expectations that we set and agreed upon together.

After the fact, I was told that people would walk out of my office and be in shock at what they had agreed to do. They didn’t feel like they knew how to do the thing, but you know, I can’t recall one instance where they didn’t get there. I remember asking an individual why she never turned around. Her response… “because I knew I could.”

There are a few critical things that are required to realize this growth:

• See people. See not only what they can do, but what they could. Make it a study to understand strengths. Take the time to imagine how those strengths and characteristics might open the door to bigger opportunities and potential.

• Psychological safety. Psychological safety. Psychological safety. Give people the ability to push back and call others out when they are wrong. Freedom to disagree constructively creates tension that builds capability.

• Radical care- see when people are struggling, know when to intervene and when to stand back. Be prepared to ask and brainstorm solutions, even if it means giving someone the ability to disconnect from the work.

• Celebrate and recognize as publicly as possible. As a leader, share your own perspective, but encourage teammates to celebrate, recognize, and appreciate one another. In the long-run, I believe that means more.

I have learned to apply my goldfish rule in a million ways. You’ve got to be patient and resolute, but it works. It creates healthy, collaborative, and creative environments.

You have to be prepared, though. People will outgrow you. They will outgrow the work. Sometimes, you have to push them toward the bigger bowl because you know it is what they need. While it is hard when people move on, you are just creating space for another fish to move in.

What’s better? By showing people how you increase the likelihood that goldfish will start growing in new spaces. Like all things that serve and set people free, the reward of meaningful work and the structures for getting there are contagious.

annewinn.com blog | Originally posted on May 26, 2022 | Photo by kabita Darlami on Pexels

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