Welcome to Edition #117 of Gorick's newsletter, where Harvard career advisor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Gorick Ng shares what they don't teach you in school about how to succeed in your career.
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→ Read time: 5 min
STORY
How Temple Grandin revolutionized cattle handling through observation
If you’ve ever been to a ranch, you’ve likely seen cattle being guided through chutes or gathered in large pens—an essential part of transport, feeding, and veterinary care.
But did you know that this process used to be even louder, more chaotic, and even dangerous—until one woman, Temple Grandin, came along?
It was 1961. Temple Grandin was at her aunt’s ranch in Arizona when she noticed something odd: The cattle responded to specific things like “sharp shadows, dangling chains, shiny metal reflections, and loud, unfamiliar noises.”
At the time, the cattle industry’s “standard approach relied on force”: yelling, electric prods, and rough handling. But Grandin saw what others missed: cattle didn’t need to be handled roughly to cooperate; they just needed a shift in their environment.
“I would do something like pick up a hose from the floor,” Grandin noted. “Then cattle would walk right through a place where they had refused to go.”
Grandin’s autism, which she was diagnosed with at four years old, gave her a heightened sensitivity to visual and sensory details. “I think in pictures,” she later explained. “I’m a visual thinker and somebody who really notices details.”
So, she reimagined the entire process of cattle management. She designed curved chutes that encouraged natural movement, eliminated harsh lines of sight, and reduced noise. These changes led to lower stress for animals, fewer injuries for workers, and more efficient operations. Her innovations were both more humane and more practical.
“Our world is a better place because of Temple's work,” said Dr. Mike Siemens, former Leader of Animal Welfare & Husbandry at Cargill, the world’s largest agricultural company.
Today, more than half of all cattle in North America are handled in facilities that use Grandin’s systems. She’s been named in the Time 100 for her work and continues to teach and speak on the intersections of autism, visual thinking, and animal behavior.
What does this mean for you?
The next time you’re struggling with a workplace problem (whether a teammate who won’t respond, a client who pulls away, or a system that doesn’t flow), think of Grandin—and yourself: What details could I be missing? What assumptions might I be making? What could be driving behavior that I’m not seeing?
UNSPOKEN RULE
Empathize. Hypothesize. Optimize.
In fast-paced workplaces, we’re taught to move fast and act quickly. But what if the smarter move is to slow down and see what others overlook?
Temple Grandin’s breakthrough didn’t come from assuming—it came from observing. (Not unlike what chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall did. Read more here!)
Grandin saw the world through the cattle’s eyes, made a thoughtful hypothesis about their fear, and, in doing so, uncovered a breakthrough. That process—observe, hypothesize, and act—can unlock breakthroughs in your career, too.
Want to solve a problem others keep missing? Try this:
- Empathize. Step back and look at the situation from every stakeholder’s perspective. Then, fill in these blanks: “From [this individual’s] perspective, [this is happening]. But, from [this other individual’s] perspective, [this is happening].”
- Hypothesize. Ask yourself, What emotional or environmental triggers might be driving each individual’s behavior? Then, fill in these blanks: “It could be that they’re [acting because of this reason], but they could also be that they’re [acting for this other reason].”
- Optimize. Try a small tweak by filling in these blanks: “Next time I [encounter this situation], let’s quietly try [taking this alternate approach].”
With time, you might just realize that that coworker isn’t trying to be difficult; it’s that you didn’t have a clear call to action (defined here!) in your email. Similarly, that client isn’t purposely dragging their feet; it’s that you’re not talking to the person with the budgetary authority to sign off on the decision.
Professionals who stand out aren’t just efficient—they’re insightful. They ask better questions, see more patterns, and, in turn, make a bigger impact.
Observe first!
See you on Thursday for my AMA,
—Gorick
What’s an “unspoken rule”? They’re the things that separate those who get ahead from those who stumble—and don’t know why. You can learn more about these rules in the workplace in my Wall Street Journal bestselling book called—you guessed it—The Unspoken Rules.
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Sources:
- Temple Grandin
- “sharp shadows, dangling chains, shiny metal reflections, and loud, unfamiliar noises.”
- Temple Grandin in the 2010s
- “standard approach relied on force”
- “I would do something like pick up a hose from the floor”
- which she was diagnosed with at four years old
- “Her unique perspective came from her autism”
- “I think in pictures”
- One of Temple Grandin’s many blueprints for more effective cattle handling systems.
- “Our world is a better place because of Temple's work”
- the world’s largest agricultural company
- Today, more than half of all cattle in North America are handled in facilities that use Grandin’s systems.
- named in the Time 100
