Stories to Raise Your Level of Thinking
In my books and my workshops I would often sprinkle in stories that would illustrate something that was blocking thinking or perhaps serve as a great metaphor for breakthrough thinking. Some are downright funny, some are pretty ridiculous, but all of them are powerful catalysts of thinking. Enjoy and I hope you can use these in your work and personal lives. I'll be adding to this often so check back frequently.
The boat race
One upon a time two companies, one American and one Japanese decided to have a canoe race along a local river.
Both teams practiced hard and long and, on the big day the Japanese won by a mile. The American team was very discouraged by the loss and morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A continuous improvement team was set up to investigate the problem and recommend corrective action. The problem was that the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering while the American team had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering. The American Corporate Steering Committee hired a consulting firm to do a study of management structure. After some time and millions of dollars, the consulting firm concluded that "Too many people were steering and not enough rowing",
To prevent losing to the Japanese again, the team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering managers, 3 area steering managers, 1 staff steering manager. and a new performance management system for the person rowing the boat (to give more incentive to work harder). "We must give him empowerment and enrichment. That ought to do it". The following year the Japanese won by 2 miles.
Humiliated, the American Corporation laid off the rower, sold all the paddles, canceled capitol investments for new equipment, halted development of a new canoe, gave a"high performance award" to the consulting firm, and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
I'm sure nothing like this could ever happen in your organization!!
The Ape Story
In a cage there are five apes. In the cage hangs a banana on a string over some stairs. Before long, one ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana, but as soon as he touches the stairs, all the apes are sprayed with cold water,
After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result and all the apes are sprayed with water.
After a while, if an ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will act to prevent it.
Now, remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all the other apes attack him. After another attempt and another attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
Replace another ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape.
After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not?
“Because that’s the way it’s always been around here.”
The Grandfather Story
Many years ago, a young man and his grandfather spent their days together, as was the custom. The old man spent much time teaching the boy how to hunt, fish, and make things, and to do it all in a sacred way. Having lived many years, the grandfather possessed many great powers of healing and teaching. Great was his knowledge of many things. One day the grandfather said to the boy, “We will change the course of the mighty river.”
The boy was filled with wonder, for he knew that his grandfather was a great man and could do great things. But change the course of a great river? Who of mortal man could accomplish such a great deed?
As they approached the river, the boy’s heart leapt as he imagined the course of the river being changed. When they got to the bank of the river, the old man reached down into the river and picked out a rock about the size of a melon.
The boy watched as the hole that the rock left began to fill with water, and he understood that in some small way the old man had indeed changed the course of the mighty river.
The old man looked at the boy with a twinkle in his eye and said, “This is the way the great river is changed, one rock at a time. It is the duty of every man who walks to change the course of rivers. Every action that you do, every word that you say will affect or change the course of a person’s life. Keep on changing the course of rivers, little one.” Grandfather was a wise man.
The Les Paul Story
When Les Paul performs on the electric guitar it’s hard to believe that acute arthritis has immobilized all the fingers of his right hand and crippled all but two fingers on his left, or fingerboard, hand. “I had to learn to play the guitar all over again as the arthritis got worse,” Paul says. “I play real good now with just two fingers.”
Paul also suffers from the effects of a 1948 automobile accident where he suffered a broken back, fractured pelvis, broken collarbone, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, and a right arm that was so crushed there was talk of amputating it. Doctors managed to reconstruct his arm and set it pointed at his navel, in a guitar-playing position. “It won’t move but I can still hold a guitar,” Paul says with a laugh.
He has also been through bone-graft surgery on his left hand; he has suffered from sciatica and Meniere’s disease; he has had three operations on his right ear to correct a broken eardrum; and has had a quintuple heart bypass. Nevertheless, Paul has managed to put a positive spin on his misfortunes.
“With every setback, every hospitalization, I’ve done some creating,” he says. “If you can’t play, you can think, you can sit there and invent. So when someone tells me I’ve had a lot of hardships I tell them that a lot of good things have come from them.”
In my books and my workshops I would often sprinkle in stories that would illustrate something that was blocking thinking or perhaps serve as a great metaphor for breakthrough thinking. Some are downright funny, some are pretty ridiculous, but all of them are powerful catalysts of thinking. Enjoy and I hope you can use these in your work and personal lives. I'll be adding to this often so check back frequently.
The boat race
One upon a time two companies, one American and one Japanese decided to have a canoe race along a local river.
Both teams practiced hard and long and, on the big day the Japanese won by a mile. The American team was very discouraged by the loss and morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A continuous improvement team was set up to investigate the problem and recommend corrective action. The problem was that the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering while the American team had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering. The American Corporate Steering Committee hired a consulting firm to do a study of management structure. After some time and millions of dollars, the consulting firm concluded that "Too many people were steering and not enough rowing",
To prevent losing to the Japanese again, the team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering managers, 3 area steering managers, 1 staff steering manager. and a new performance management system for the person rowing the boat (to give more incentive to work harder). "We must give him empowerment and enrichment. That ought to do it". The following year the Japanese won by 2 miles.
Humiliated, the American Corporation laid off the rower, sold all the paddles, canceled capitol investments for new equipment, halted development of a new canoe, gave a"high performance award" to the consulting firm, and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
I'm sure nothing like this could ever happen in your organization!!
The Ape Story
In a cage there are five apes. In the cage hangs a banana on a string over some stairs. Before long, one ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana, but as soon as he touches the stairs, all the apes are sprayed with cold water,
After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result and all the apes are sprayed with water.
After a while, if an ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will act to prevent it.
Now, remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all the other apes attack him. After another attempt and another attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
Replace another ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape.
After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not?
“Because that’s the way it’s always been around here.”
The Grandfather Story
Many years ago, a young man and his grandfather spent their days together, as was the custom. The old man spent much time teaching the boy how to hunt, fish, and make things, and to do it all in a sacred way. Having lived many years, the grandfather possessed many great powers of healing and teaching. Great was his knowledge of many things. One day the grandfather said to the boy, “We will change the course of the mighty river.”
The boy was filled with wonder, for he knew that his grandfather was a great man and could do great things. But change the course of a great river? Who of mortal man could accomplish such a great deed?
As they approached the river, the boy’s heart leapt as he imagined the course of the river being changed. When they got to the bank of the river, the old man reached down into the river and picked out a rock about the size of a melon.
The boy watched as the hole that the rock left began to fill with water, and he understood that in some small way the old man had indeed changed the course of the mighty river.
The old man looked at the boy with a twinkle in his eye and said, “This is the way the great river is changed, one rock at a time. It is the duty of every man who walks to change the course of rivers. Every action that you do, every word that you say will affect or change the course of a person’s life. Keep on changing the course of rivers, little one.” Grandfather was a wise man.
The Les Paul Story
When Les Paul performs on the electric guitar it’s hard to believe that acute arthritis has immobilized all the fingers of his right hand and crippled all but two fingers on his left, or fingerboard, hand. “I had to learn to play the guitar all over again as the arthritis got worse,” Paul says. “I play real good now with just two fingers.”
Paul also suffers from the effects of a 1948 automobile accident where he suffered a broken back, fractured pelvis, broken collarbone, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, and a right arm that was so crushed there was talk of amputating it. Doctors managed to reconstruct his arm and set it pointed at his navel, in a guitar-playing position. “It won’t move but I can still hold a guitar,” Paul says with a laugh.
He has also been through bone-graft surgery on his left hand; he has suffered from sciatica and Meniere’s disease; he has had three operations on his right ear to correct a broken eardrum; and has had a quintuple heart bypass. Nevertheless, Paul has managed to put a positive spin on his misfortunes.
“With every setback, every hospitalization, I’ve done some creating,” he says. “If you can’t play, you can think, you can sit there and invent. So when someone tells me I’ve had a lot of hardships I tell them that a lot of good things have come from them.”