Lessons From We and They
Leaders Must Climb Their Own Mountain
Most would agree that running away from one’s problems is a natural instinct, especially for children, but as adults, it is not an appropriate or useful response, particularly when leading or serving in an organization. Organizations become stuck in their problems when leaders refuse to deal with uncomfortable circumstances and try to pretend that problems don’t exist. Likewise, they can’t try to delegate away their problems, hoping that someone else will handle the unpleasantries. As We demonstrated in the parable, leaders have to climb their own mountain. Had We tried to pass off the responsibility to a subordinate or co-worker, he would have missed the opportunity to come to the conclusions that could only be realized by personally making the climb. Leaders have to overcome their inward challenges of fear, anxiety, and apathy, show some self-control, and channel their feelings into doing the hard work of leadership. By climbing their own mountain, leaders not only benefit from the act of overcoming a sometimes arduous journey, but their behaviors and characteristics set the example for their team and encourage them to do the same. Climbing the mountain shows that a leader is willing to endure struggles and not quit even when challenges are mountain-sized.
Perspective Makes a Difference
In The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Heifetz, Grashow, and Linsky describe how leaders should get off the dance floor and take a balcony view, which allows them to obtain a broader perspective of their organization and the circumstances in which they are functioning. Sometimes merely stepping back from a challenge allows the leader to see things from a different perspective and find solutions which are not easy to see when one is too close to the problem, just as in the age-old adage of not being able to see the forest for the trees. In our story, We was able to take on a new perspective by climbing up the mountain. By looking down from the summit, We was able to view the village on the north slope and see that They’s village was not so different from his own. The broader perspective enhanced his abilities to learn and change because he could see that he really didn’t know as much as he thought he did and he didn’t have all of the answers. He had been blaming the mysterious “They” when all the while They didn’t have anything to do with We’s problems. Often, what leaders need to do when facing difficult circumstances is to change their perspective by stepping back and taking a broader view.
Blaming Others Doesn’t Solve Problems
We was all worked up! We decided to give They a piece of his mind and marched up the mountain. Surprisingly, They felt the same way. It’s easy to get worked up, especially when a leader thinks someone else is to blame for his problems. Unfortunately, this can go too far, and frustration turns to anger and comes out in the form of hostile attitudes and organizational stress. Even when it seems to be justified, blaming others often leads to increased harmful and unproductive emotions. Accounts are told of executives who are so into the blame game that they figuratively throw their hands up in frustration when asked about how they will deal with an issue which needs attention instead of realizing that they may have something directly to do with the problems they face. Leaders must resist the urge to deflect responsibility by blaming others and instead inspire a positive vision of what the future can look like once circumstances are dealt with in a productive way. Blaming others only stalls the solution-finding process.
Answers Come to Those Who Seek Them
Every organization has its share of challenges. Sometimes they are easily overcome, but other times they are what can only be described as wicked problems, which, in a Harvard Business Review article, Edmonson notes, require leaders to be agile, open-minded, and humble, yet with a fierce resolve to do whatever is necessary to pull their organization through the dark seasons of lean and want. For our hero, the first step was his decision to climb the mountain, which in this case, represents his willingness to enter into a continual period of self-learning, and what Ellis in Wounds, UK outlines as “Personal Development Planning,” an intentional self-initiated program to become more effective in reaching one’s goals and achieving more of their potential. Had We not been willing to set out in search of answers to the problems in his village, he might have forever been caught in the quagmire of blaming others for his problems and never becoming the leader that he had the potential to be. We had to decide that he would find or create the things his people needed. We took on the attitude, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” We discovered answers because he went looking for them.