The memory of a goldfish

It's commonly believed that goldfish have a memory that lasts only three seconds, even though recent research suggests that may not be true.  For example, laboratory studies have shown that goldfish can recognize human faces and even drive a miniaturized robotic car.  Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best when he suggested, "Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Building on what is perhaps admittedly an urban myth, I love the quote from the television show Ted Lasso.  Ted was talking to one of his players who had just made a mistake and said, "You know what the happiest animal in the world is?  It's a goldfish.  It's got a 10 second memory.  Be a goldfish."  In other words, learn from your mistake.  Put the past behind you.  Move on.

It's actually great advice.  Just consider what happened on Sunday Night Football on NBC this past weekend.  The Detroit Lions were losing to the Houston Texans 23-7 at the start of the second half.  By the start of the fourth and final quarter, the Lions were still losing 23-13 and their quarterback, Jared Goff had already thrown five interceptions (he had only thrown four interceptions in the entire NFL season up to that point).  Rather than giving up what by that point had been a horrible outing, Goff would lead his team to score 13 points and win the game 26-23.  

It was an ugly performance, but the Lions, who were the NFL's hottest team up to that point, still found a way to win.  In the post-game press conference, Goff said, "Honestly I didn't feel like I was playing all that bad, and I was seeing things well and I was throwing it well...I had some unfortunate things happen early, but I've been through a whole lot worse in that I've been to the bottom mentally.  Some unlucky plays aren't going to throw me off my game."

Talk about a goldfish memory!  If you make a mistake (or commit whatever version of throwing five interceptions at your place of work), learn from it.  Put the past behind you.  Trust what got you to this point.  Move on. 

Just as important is a team or organizational culture that embraces psychological safety, what Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson defines as "the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking."  Goff knew that his coaches and teammates had his back.  He knew that they trusted him and had faith in him, which ultimately allowed him to persevere and stay resilient despite what had been an ugly performance up to the fourth quarter.  If you are a leader in an organization, it's important that the members of your team know and understand that it's okay to make a mistake or to take risks.  Without a culture of psychological safety, there is just no way that the Lions win that game.  The same can be said for organizations...