How to benefit from Trust & Reflection

Sometimes we can maneuver ourselves into a corner or a tight spot that seems to have no escape. This does not only happen when we make a mistake in our daily life, but it can also happen at work. Managers and leaders can get excited about new ideas or frustrated about a project that does not move in the right direction. At the same time, we are trying to find the proper and most direct path towards our goals and success. 

A friend and fellow animal lover, Bobbie Sibbert, recently send us an email with a true story about an incident at the California/Nevada border. To tell a story, using pictures has always been something I liked a lot. In this case it isn’t just for the beautiful scenery, but it is a little unusual as well. To start out one could say: There was someone who had a goal in mind, had a clear path, actually a short cut which avoided the treacherous gorge, and ended up realizing that the shortest way is not always the best way. Take a look:  

 

Here is what Bobbie wrote about the incident 

A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge (Old Hwy 40 at Donner Summit,

Truckee) on Saturday, September 15^th, 2007 when two cars also crossing the bridge scared the bear into jumping over the edge of the bridge. Somehow the bear caught the ledge and was able to pull itself to safety.

   

Authorities decided that nothing  could be done to help Saturday night so they returned Sunday morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge.The authorities tried to find a way to safe the bear without hurting it. The bear waited patiently while the helpers secured a net underneath the bridge  

  

When the net was in place the bear was tranquilized and fell into the net.

While the net was lowered towards the bottom of the gorge, the bear began to wake up.

When the net reached the ground and opened up, the bear walked off, happy, well rested, almost as if smiling…

Bobbie had this summary:

There is a moral to this story you know; this old bear made a wrong move and found he was hanging by his nails. Somehow he was able to pull himself up onto the ledge where he saw he was in a very bad, impossible situation and w hat did he do? Yep, he took a nap and sure enough the situation took care of itself while he was asleep. The moral is that when confronted with a bad situation sometimes the best solution is to take a nap.

I totally agree with Bobbie. From a leadership point of view, I think we can learn that having trust in yourself, in the system and those that support you, can go a long way to finding the right path. Even if a decision seems to have taken the wrong turn, there are ways to get back on solid footing. The other thing I find worth mentioning is the fact that an old bear (or manager or leader) can try a new path, willing to take a risk. It might not always work out as planned, but it was probably worth a try, if for nothing else than the view/perspective.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC