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Choose what you want

Before I can post about hybrids I need to post about selective breeding. People have been breeding plants and animals for thousands of years. Before modern science all you had to do was:

  1. Choose two plants or animals that you liked.
  2. Breed them.
  3. Repeat for thousands of years.

The results are amazing.

Look at this before and after shot of the watermelon from James Kennedy:

James Kennedy's wonderful watermelon.
James Kennedy’s wonderful watermelon

He has more of these on his website, which I’ll definitely be going back to.

The point for your organisation is this:

  1. Know what you want – vision, values, culture
  2. Choose what you want, and keep on selecting for it
  3. Make it explicit – explain what you’re doing to your team and others
  4. Iterate for days, months, years.
  5. Be fruitful

A word of caution. the wrong type of selective breeding can cause all sorts of mayhem and monstrosities.

The moral of the story: choose carefully, and be on the lookout for unintended consequences.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommended resources...

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