The Red Queen Effect - Mental Model: Work Smarter, Not Faster
Are you running fast but seem to stay in the same place?
Alice met the Red Queen when exploring the world of Wonderland.
In this magic world, Alice is running through the forest alongside the queen, who encourages her to run faster and faster. She tries, but is surprised that they stay in the same place.
Lewis Carroll was an incredible observer of human nature. His books, while describing the interaction between Alice and magical creatures, portray surprising aspects of our nature, including how we compete with each other:
Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.
If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!
In 1973, evolutionary biologist Leigh Van Valen adapted this idea of running with the queen and turned it into a hypothesis on how species evolve.
The Red Queen Effect represents the need to constantly adapt and improve in order to maintain your position in a competitive environment.
On A Team Level
Technology, frameworks, and tools change fast. Running forward without a clear plan just to keep up is a daunting experience. The key is to run with the right focus.
It's up to leaders to make sure that our teams are running in the right direction and at the right pace:
Are you learning fast enough?
What is your benchmark for growth? Are you looking at teams within the company, or outside of it?
What works:
Make sure that the team uses the best tools for their job
Keep opportunities to learn alive within teams to explore where others are running
Check if you focus on the right things (forcing every new AI tool might not be the best solution)
The key realisation is not whether you are running fast, but whether it is towards the desired goal.
On A Personal Level
Running and chasing AI news is a good example of the Red Queen Effect.
It's good to know what AI can achieve, which LLM to use, what to use and how to adapt. But should we focus on every news out there? Maybe we are just scared that the next model will be a game-changer? Sometimes pausing and waiting for the benchmarks and real case scenarios can save us a lot of time.
AI might not replace our jobs, but people who use AI will. Understanding it is key, but chasing every release is not that important.
A Comforting Take
It might be a matter of survival, but rushing through life simply because everyone around us is rushing is definitely not the best idea.
One of the key takeaways from my silent meditation retreat is that when you stop running for 10 days, nothing bad will happen. Here, by running, I mean following the news or chasing daily technology developments.
Finding proper time to learn is much more important than trying to keep up with everything, all the time. Running in the desired direction is a better choice than chasing everyone else with no specific goal or plan.
Summary
The Red Queen effect serves as a great reminder that we are all progressing and everything around us is changing.
Technology is changing fast, our work might soon evolve to something that’s difficult to imagine right now.
It’s important to understand that running smart is better than chasing everything out there.
These 3 questions are worth asking to check with the Red Queen:
Am I making meaningful progress, or just keeping up?
Do I know why I'm moving in this direction?
What would happen if I paused right now?
Thanks for reading!
— Michał
P.S. It's an extension to the article on evolution.
P.P.S. More business and evolutionary-related examples of the Red Queen effect have been presented by Farnam Street.
Post Notes
Discover Weekly — Shoutouts
Articles that might help you explore new perspectives, which I’ve read recently:
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This is a really engaging post and a great analogy. I enjoyed it. Thanks for your insights!
Such a thoughtful post, Michał! The Red Queen Effect is a powerful reminder to focus on meaningful progress rather than just keeping up. I enjoyed your insights on running in the right direction.
Also, thank you so much for including my article in your Discover Weekly section. I truly appreciate it!