I wrote this useful little story just a couple of weeks before it was first published in February 2005 by the British Columbia Principals association in their Adminfo magazine. It was then reprinted in the in Canadian Association of Principals conference guide for the international Connecting Leaders conference held in April 2007. I have also used it extensively when speaking to audiences. It manages to point out how even the most purposeful and most well intentioned groups can thwart one another’s efforts if they are not aligned through knowledge of Systems and Synergy.
Douglas Leadbetter M.Ed
There was once a remote village nestled up high in a lonely mountain valley surrounded by the peaks of a rugged mountain range. The colorful townspeople there made crafts and tools and various trinkets for essential trade with other villages; however, as their village was remote and townspeople had to endure a long and difficult journey if they were to trade in the markets of the larger towns and villages in the valley below.
They made the journey often though as they depended on trade to maintain their existence in this austere mountain setting. The first part of the journey out from the village was the most difficult as the singular road was steep and narrow as it ascended to reach the ridge between two particularly large mountains. Upon reaching the ridge, the difficult part of the journey was done, as the road widened and descended lazily down the slope towards the valley below and the larger towns situated there.
As things sometimes happen, one day a large boulder rolled from the mountain peaks and settled to completely clog the road at a critical point high above the village’s tiny valley floor. No one could venture past the boulder with any pack or wagon loaded for trade. It was all they could do to pass by the boulder at all, scrambling hand and foot with little room to stand or move on either side. This was, of course, a considerable problem. The people of the village held a meeting that evening to discuss their difficult fate. It was quickly decided that the strongest and most sure-footed amongst them should venture out the next morning and push the boulder off the path. A small, powerful group went out the next day with best intentions. They were unable to budge the giant rock, as even their combined efforts were not enough. They returned home by evening.
Another meeting was held. Many people were not as full as they would be on a regular evening and they were wisely stretching out the food stores they had until the boulder had been moved. Plans were made and each was discussed with the best intentions in mind. A newly formed and larger group of townspeople were to go out the next morning and work together with a common aim, for a common purpose and push the behemoth from the path. The new group, with a mission and a vision and a few sacs filled with important tools set out the next day. This group too was thwarted by the enormous rock. They returned home discouraged and another meeting was held that evening.
By this time, people were beginning to show signs of panic. The fresh fruits and vegetables they traded their crafts for were growing scarce. Most people were a little hungry. Something had to be done soon as the future was starting to look bleak. This third meeting was quiet at first. A strange feeling was in the air and through it an elder member of the village spoke. Her voice was firm and resolute. She reminded everyone that in their village they existed largely due to the fact that they cooperated, worked together and saw to the common good. They operated with best intentions, always. They always had and they always would. She suggested they work together more fervently than they had ever done so before. She suggested they send out every able bodied person to the site of the boulder. She suggested that with all of their might combined, the boulder would surely move. To the person, agreement rang strong. They had survived until now because of their common aims, their common goals, and their shared purpose – this would be no different. People slept easier that night.
The next morning saw the village nearly empty. Everyone with any strength was on the move up the narrow road to the place where the boulder had blocked the route of trade and sustenance. With some care, the townspeople arranged themselves around the base of the giant stone. They encircled the rock entirely. The people of the village were intent on their purpose and so they pulled tightly together, shoulder to shoulder around the base of the giant rock. Each person waited for the signal and when it was given they pushed all at once. Their efforts were heroic, unified, with a singular purpose, directed to the best possible outcome, which was all for one and one for all. The boulder did not move, however. The villagers pushed and pushed. It still did not move though every one of them worked together and with a strength rarely seen in any village, anywhere.
They were not successful, however, and hours later, spent and beaten, they returned home and began to dismantle their little village.
This simple story makes a strong point about the need to approach life through systems and synergy. The people of the village failed in their goal. Their best intentions and their unified efforts were not enough. When they ringed the rock and all pushed to the center at once, each individual effort cancelled the effort of another. How many times do we do this in our organizations? Though they were cooperating and sharing a common goal, they failed. The villagers had the best intentions, but they failed to see and capitalize upon the larger design of their efforts. They lacked an understanding of their interdependence and the alignment they could have used to accomplish their aim. They failed to see the power they had if they coordinated their work with intent.
CPS, Deming, Peter Senge and many more share the belief that many of us are restrained and even impeded from doing well in our roles because the systems we create and are part of, the mental models we hold, and other factors diminish our efforts. If we really believe people do want to perform well the benefit of that potential (as well as our own) will be realized only if we design systems that allow people to do their best. Finding the points in time and function to leverage efforts to that end is a significant feat. Systems can be influenced though. Systems flow and there are points of influence, junctures and joints where effort is best placed, that will help to create change in a system such that people are freed to do their best. The more we know about the system and the earlier we can apply our influence, the greater the chance of positive effect.
