August 8, 2008
From Dr. Seuss #1
“You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some widows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
…Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.”
- What is Dr. Seuss talking about in your opinion and does it apply to management?
- Were you ever in this state and if so what helped you make up your mind?
It’s that magical place, that place where neither experience nor education can prepare you for. It’s that time where you are confronted by a choice that you neither expected nor really wanted, that time when you were given contradictory opinions by people you trust, that time when you must go it alone and actually make a decision, that time when you actually had to take a chance and either be right or wrong, that place where you find there was no place left to hide. This is the crux of the management paradox; how to lead when you don’t know what to do next.
It is scary, and yes, it is a dark and lonely place. Where is the light? Where do I turn? What do I do?
Take a deep breath, open the door, and take the first step. Often times taking that first step, that first decision, makes the rest easier. Once you have made the decision to make a decision, you can then start to see where you need to end up. When you look at the totality of something, it almost always looks larger, and imposing. When you break it down, step by step, you find that it is not as bad as it seems. After a series of small steps you will be surprised to see you are well on the way to accomplishing the thing you never thought you could.
People are afraid in many instances to make decisions without all the facts, but most times we never know all the facts, nor could we. Sometimes we just have to open the door and hope to find the light switch along the way.
Bob
Cool question:
1. What is the good Dr. talking about? Freedom to fail and hence learn, risk taking and fear of the unknown all of which are related and pertinent to management/leadership. An effective leader will be vulnerable yet confident enough to create a learning environment that stimulates and rewards intellectual curiosity that further: enables the opportunity to try (freedom to fail); promotes the learning opportunity (what was the objective / what was the result /what did you learn; and facilitates a culture that is built of groups/teams of individuals who with continued support produce extraordinary results.
2. I have most definitely been in this state. And, in most instances I asked myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” And, in one’s life when we are at a cross road we cannot go back in time nor if we have goals can we simply go aimlessly forward. Hence, entering this “street” with care allows one to evaluate, test, and decide what to do next in their journey. And, to not enter is to not have the opportunity to learn and my intellectual curiosity has been the driving force.
John Fleming
Experienced international CEO, operating executive and consultant for strategy development and implementation.
Hi Reut
Isn’t Dr. Suess smart?
To me, it’s about the crossing in the road, the unknown, the risk. I think the best way to get through is by assessing the possibilities, pros, cons, risks…and then plunging in wearing your elbow pads and headgear with some chin padding. Plunging in before you get too scared to go.
It does apply to management, the growth of a business, the meeting you might be walking into that is different than it seems, the conflict you might be managing between employees, the numerous daily decisions.
Be well Reut!
Kelly
Reut:
The good doctor is describing leadership. That place between risk and reward, between “what if it it fails?” and “what if it doesn’t?”
As leaders our job is to explore the places in the shadows and bring in light. The most fun you can have legally is to create a new path for an organization and get people to “join up” with you as you pursue it.
Similar to a question about conformity this question reminds me of a quote that I love-
” The job of a leader is to take their followers where they have not been.”
As to have I ever been here- this is where I prefer to live! Working together with a group of people to try new things and make positive changes that we all support is the best gig in the world.
I ask myself some basic questions:
- Is what I am proposing in the best interests of the organization and their stakeholders?
- Have I sought the input and wisdom of others before charting the course?
- As the “leader” am I willing to accept responsibility for the “failure?
- Will taking the risks and making even partial progress leave the organization better off than they currently are?
If I can answer yes to those questions then its my responsibility to move forward.
The idea of accepting that it can’t get any better doesn’t live in my world.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was as entertaining as he was astute. The quote is about challenge and opportunity, fear and courage, convention and innovation. While this quote should be the vision statement for all management philosophy, it’s seldom on the radar of too many managers who concern themselves with job security.
The Seuss quote should help managers navigate the persistent storm of mediocrity by setting sails that maneuver with the winds of change and progress. Managers, especially U.S. managers, need to read more Dr. Seuss to revitalize our heritage of entrepreneurial spirit and leadership.
As a consultant and often a change agent, I welcome the dark windows and have no fear of losing. It happens. Risk is necessary for reward. And, besides, the journey is as much fun for me as the destination.
Seuss is a catalyst for constantly engaging on journeys without the need for a single, definable destination. He understood that goals are evolving targets. I’m going back to reread Cat in the Hat to pick up a few more Life lessons.
Reut,
I love Dr. Suess. The Lorax is the best.
The answer to your question is that you are going to come to a place where you have no experience. And how ever cocky you felt before you came to this place, you’ll find that you are going to have to eat some humble pie right quick and possibly ask for help.
Yes, I’ve been there and the imminent threat of the alternative was enough to make up my mind.
Scott
What a wonderful question, and also what wonderful answers!
I have read many of the Dr Seuss books to my twin boys over the years, and there is so much wisdom in them - for me and for them.
For me this section is about courage - no less and no more. So yes! it applies to management - and even more so to authentic leadership…
If you have courage, wisdom and love, and you arrive in this place then you will know which way to go. But it is not always simple.
I would strongly recommend any student of Dr Seuss to read one of the biographies of Theodore Lesig!
Powerful questions that can be asked in the face of so many crossroads or developmental stages and roles we play: from adolescence to adulthood, manager or entrepreneur…and everywhere in-between.
The poem talks of fear of the unknown and courage to keep going with in the embodiment of that fear. It talks of risk taking as a way of living or outlook of life. It brings us through the layers of decisions we face and constant vigilance we need to navigate. The price of fear is not lessened, as we make no decision, it is only exacerbated by avoidance.
I chose to sprain both my elbows and chin, because only by playing can I hope to win.
[…] Reut published the following Dr. Seuss quote in her most recent blog entry: […]
What this represents to me is that there are so many forks in the road - some that have been travelled and some that are yet to be explored. Each time we look at the choices ahead, the conscious mind focuses on the comfortable choice of the beaten path but the subconscious questions the choice. Hence the indecision. Every management decision is fraught with risks, reward and possible failures. This is what Dr.Seuss is talking about. What helps me make the decision is the focus on what is the core of the goal to be achieved and mapping it to the choice on the road.
Another great question, as yours do most be.
Stimulating thought, in the masses and me.
The topic is business, and a childhood rhyme.
Its about situations, we face all the time.
The mystery confounds, the mystery attracts.
We must learn to decide, and learn when to act.
A leader must choose no matter the risk.
…Ease is for followers, growth takes deep thought, for your business to grow and your luck to stay hot!
Each consciousness will decide which part of the brain to use; left or right hemisphere. In majority of cases, dark will “stay” until each one will gain their own consciousness.