\u201cWHENE\u2019ER companions don\u2019t agree,They work without accord;
\nAnd naught but trouble doth result,
\nAlthough they all work hard.
\nOne day a swan, a pike, a crab,
\nResolved a load to haul;
\nAll three were harnessed to the cart,
\nAnd pulled together all.
\nBut though they pulled with all their might,
\nThe cart-load on the bank stuck tight.
\nThe swan pulled upward to the skies;
\nThe crab did backward crawl;
\nThe pike made for the water straight \u2014
\nIt proved no use at all!<\/p>\n
Now, which of them was most to blame
\n\u2019Tis not for me to say;
\nBut this I know: the load is there
\nUnto this very day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounds and looks familiar? Some teams are like that. No doubt, for many of the Theory X persuasion, there\u2019s an easy solution:<\/strong> a kick-ass leader to bring this transfixed trio in line! But, note that this cart is leader-less.<\/p>\n Yes, a muleteer’s whip would get the cart to move, a foot or two, or more, until\u00a0 the muleteer\u2019s arm wore out. Why not develop an accord among the three factions (littoral, avian and marine) to pull forward?<\/p>\n If there were an effective leader, what could he or she do to bring about harmony?\u00a0 \u00a0 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?<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cload\u201d hardly budged.<\/p>\n * Source: Krylov, Ivan Andreevich<\/strong>, Guy Daniels, and David Pascal. \u201c15 Fables of Krylov\u201d. New York: Macmillan, 1965.<\/p>\n This blog first appeared in 2016<\/a>. After a decade, here it is again with a largely new commentary.<\/p>\n From the Encyclopedia Britannica:<\/strong> ***************<\/strong><\/p>\n My book, Fables for Leaders<\/em><\/strong>, all about how ancient stories apply to today’s workplace, can be purchased here<\/a>. The link will take you to BookBaby, the company that prints and fills orders for Fables for Leaders<\/em>.<\/p>\n My other book, Leading from the Middle<\/em><\/strong>, with essays on team building, followers, leaders, innovation and several case studies of exceptional leaders and organizations, can be purchased here at Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIvan 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.\u201d<\/p>\n