Birds and Roads, a paradox
I just saw an article in LinkedIn that talked about life being a road with lots of signs and that we should visualize what needs to be achieved and convert that into the goal. Okay, I can buy that.
But the image used to illustrate that thought was one of geese flying in a V with the sun in the background against an orange sky.
For many people, the road metaphor probably looks like this:
And there are two miles of ditch for every mile of road. Lots of mud and other things to bog down progress and make the road more difficult to use, in addition to the costs of gasoline, the need for maps and signs (or your GPS device) and the reality that there are lots and lots of potholes and speed bumps these days.
I’m more likely to buy into the flying metaphor, where one gets up high and has great perspective on the overall journey and the local environment. And you can get there faster, but you also probably have a longer way to go…
But even with all the thoughts on goals and alignment and teamwork and communications and the other metaphorical gobbledegook about the benefits of this formation in collaborating together, you still need to get your feet on the ground and take a break to eat. Plus, you have got to know where you are going.
This metaphor stuff does get confusing, ya think?
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Dr. Scott Simmerman is a designer of team building games and organization improvement tools. Managing Partner of Performance Management Company since 1984, he is an experienced presenter and consultant.
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