Genius of the “And”; Tyranny of the “Or”

Forget about the word “Or,” and begin embracing the word “And.”

“Or” forces you to think in ultimatums, it pushes you to think that things “must be either A OR B.” For example:

• Go to work or get an education
• Short-term profit or make a long-term investment
• Low cost or high quality

Anybody can choose one or the other, but it takes a determined, motivated, and rare kind of person to say that they will do both. So, instead of choosing “Or,” go with “And”:

• I will have a job and get an education
• My company will increase its short-term profits and have long-term investments
• My product will be low cost and have high quality

Now, with the mentality of “And,” you’ve got a challenge (and thus an opportunity) waiting to be tackled. You aren’t faced with just choosing one or the other; now you have to be creative, hard working, and motivated to accomplish both.

Note, however, that doing both doesn’t imply balance. Doing both doesn’t mean splitting your effort 50/50. No, no, no…

Embracing “And” means you do both at the same time, all the time, with all the effort you’ve got.

This is a reflection from a book I read: Jim Collins’ Built to Last.