Say Goodbye to Your Mental Fossils – Your Shot of Fearless Culture #386
Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.
What's worse than being beaten by a competitor?
Being beaten by your own employees.
Google didn't lose the AI race to OpenAI because it lacked talent, technology, or resources. At one point, one in six OpenAI employees were ex-Googlers.
The tech giant was trapped by the very beliefs that made it successful. While protecting its search business and avoiding brand risk, Google hesitated (and lost key talent and time). OpenAI moved fast and launched ChatGPT.
Your organization faces the same trap right now.
The mental models that built your success are now preventing your next breakthrough. Your beliefs aren't wrong; they were perfect for yesterday's world.
This week, I invite you to bury your "mental fossils," as psychologist Adam Grant calls them. Here’s how to say goodbye to the beliefs that you cling to and no longer serve you.
Explore this week's newsletter:
My latest article → Unlearning Is a Competitive Advantage
Exercises to identify and retire your mental fossils
Resources to make unlearning your competitive edge
Stay fearless, my friend.
Gustavo
In Case You Missed It
→ How to Break Free from Your Limiting Beliefs
Ask Your Team This
What belief are we still holding onto that no longer serves us?
⚠️ Try This
The Empty Cup Exercise
Ask each team member to write down their “unquestionable truths” about:
What your clients need
What makes your team successful
What makes collaboration work
Then challenge each other's assumptions with: "What if the opposite were true?"
Don't judge or attack what everyone wrote. Just notice which beliefs feel uncomfortable to question—those are your mental fossils.
🍦 Feed Your Curiosity
The rise of interpersonal competence
Why unlearning is your best slayer of “zombie leadership”
100 mental models to make intelligent decisions
🔎 Do You Know How to Improve Culture?
Your team says they value collaboration, but people still work in silos. You believe asking for help shows strength, but everyone suffers in silence.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most leaders are managing a culture that exists only in their heads.
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Uncover your actual culture (beyond the values on your wall)
Identify the hidden gaps blocking change
Design a culture that drives the behaviors you actually need
Join the Culture Design Masterclass.
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– Michelle
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Gustavo Razzetti
CEO, Fearless Culture