“WHENE’ER companions don’t agree,They work without accord;
And naught but trouble doth result,
Although they all work hard.
One day a swan, a pike, a crab,
Resolved a load to haul;
All three were harnessed to the cart,
And pulled together all.
But though they pulled with all their might,
The cart-load on the bank stuck tight.
The swan pulled upward to the skies;
The crab did backward crawl;
The pike made for the water straight —
It proved no use at all!
Now, which of them was most to blame
’Tis not for me to say;
But this I know: the load is there
Unto this very day.”
Sounds and looks familiar? Some teams are like that. No doubt, for many of the Theory X persuasion, there’s an easy solution: a kick-ass leader to bring this transfixed trio in line! But, note that this cart is leader-less.
Yes, a muleteer’s whip would get the cart to move, a foot or two, or more, until the muleteer’s arm wore out. Why not develop an accord among the three factions (littoral, avian and marine) to pull forward?
If there were an effective leader, what could he or she do to bring about harmony? Why do not the swan, pike and crab cooperate among themselves (self-manage) and move the cart? Does this unlikely team (and us) always need to be told what to do?
While there are different talents and desires within any group, a successful group shares Role and Purpose, two quintessential rules for group development and effectiveness. Absent role and purpose, an organization’s cart bogs down. In one case, I had the good fortune to lead teams that were in accord. We were like-minded and made good progress.
But, I did not do well when factions were intractably opposed. I was too impatient to halt, to question and to understand the discord. We avoided conflict and muddled along as best we could, but it would have been far better for me to lead and to clear the air and settle differences. Instead, our organizational “load” hardly budged.
* Source: Krylov, Ivan Andreevich, Guy Daniels, and David Pascal. “15 Fables of Krylov”. New York: Macmillan, 1965.
This blog first appeared in 2016. After a decade, here it is again with a largely new commentary.
From the Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Ivan Andreyevich Krylov, (1768/69-1844) Russian writer of innocent-sounding fables that satirized contemporary social types in the guise of beasts. His command of colloquial idiom brought a note of realism to Russian classical literature. Many of his aphorisms have become part of everyday Russian speech.”
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My book, Fables for Leaders, all about how ancient stories apply to today’s workplace, can be purchased here. The link will take you to BookBaby, the company that prints and fills orders for Fables for Leaders.
My other book, Leading from the Middle, with essays on team building, followers, leaders, innovation and several case studies of exceptional leaders and organizations, can be purchased here at Amazon.
N.B. For other essays on numerous topics on leadership and literature and fables go to my Nucleus archive from 2010-early 2025.
© Commentary by John Lubans 2016 & 2026