By Graeme Nichol President of Arcturus Advisors. Please visit their website at http://www.arcturusadvisors.com. Arcturus Advisors works with business leaders to close the gap between great strategies and mediocre results. We use a process to get businesses to focus on a shared vision and agree on how to achieve results that far exceed individual contribution.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
-God bless me! But the Elephant
Is very like a wall!-
The Second feeling the tusk,
Cried, -Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me -tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!-
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
-I see,- quoth he, -the Elephant
Is very like a snake!-
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
-What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,- quoth he;
-Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!-
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: -E-en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!-
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
-I see,- quoth he, -the Elephant
Is very like a rope!-
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
Well you are now probably wondering whether you have opened a poetry course or an article about management and management planning. Replace each of these wonderful men of Indostan with a member of your team. As a way of explanation lets look at a management team made up of the CEO, CFO, CTO and all the other Cs you can imagine. Each comes to the table with many years of experience and study behind them. They come with a thorough understanding of their role in the company but a limited understanding of the other Cs roles.
Now imagine your revenue is on a downward trend and you have come together to try and reverse this trend. Each member will see the problem and solution from their own familiar position. You will sit around and argue long and hard about how to tackle this problem. If each took a tour of the -elephant- and tried to understand each part and how each part makes the whole then it might become clear that the elephant has a thorn in his foot and therefore cant walk to get his food and water and so is becoming malnourished.
Understanding each part of the elephant and how they come together to make the whole is what Peter Senge calls -systems thinking- and is one of the five disciplines that make a learning organization.
We are not saying that the CFO needs to go and get a marketing degree and work in marketing. But if each member of the team listens and tries to understand the whole -elephant- rather than stating their position more and more firmly, then the team has more chance of reaching a true understanding. The team has more chance of fixing the problem and achieving success.
Open your eyes and see the whole -elephant- for what it truly is.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- What is a Shared Vision?
- Building A Learning Organisation
- Natural Vision Improvement Is Possible
- Computer Vision Syndrome Complex During Related To Computer Use
- Children’s Vision Care - Keep Their Focus on Fun
- Top 7 Tips to Treat Eye Conditions Using Vision Therapy
- How Do You Achieve Goals? the Answer is in Your Vision
- How Do You Achieve Goals? The Answer is In Your Vision




Tho Power of Drugs
By: brian | 15/11/2009Never did we believe drugs had such power, unti experiencing it's controlling power. Anything that can take over your life, and bring into it much negativity, truly has power.
Mice and Squirrel
By: Shohag Kabir | 15/11/2009Mice and Squirrel is a family friendly children book. The Children picture book is discussed all about mice and squirrel how they fight for foods and also discussed about the Rubin bird who witnesses for this scene.
In Bible versus Quran: God wrestled with Jacob all the night
By: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil | 10/11/2009The Bible says that Jacob was left alone; and the Lord God wrestled with him all the night until the breaking of the day. In the Noble Quran, Allah does not wrestle, if He wants to do anything, He just says: Be and it is.
Keep your memory, Keep your sweet flower
By: Writing is happiness | 09/11/2009Do you remember the moment when you receive flower from someone? Someone who is a special one in your life, your boy friend, your husband, your best friends or your family. Do you remember the feeling when he sends the flower to you and something you see in his eyes, the feeling when you touch flower, the gentle petal flowers, sweet smell and the happiness around you? That is a impression moment you can’t throw away and you want to keep it forever.
In the Quran: your sight on the Day of Judgment will be very sharp
By: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil | 07/11/2009The Quran says that your sight on the Day of Judgment is acute, it is very sharp and piercing and is able to perceive what you used to reject in the life of this world.
In the Quran: They and their wives are on thrones reclining
By: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil | 01/11/2009The Noble Quran says that the inhabitants of Paradise, they and their wives are on thrones reclining; reclining upon couches
Way Back To My Land
By: Jagmohan Kathait | 28/10/2009Article about need of connectivity in rural areas.
Story
By: Shanaz | 26/10/2009This is a story I wrote
Are You Living in the Past?
By: Graeme Nichol | 22/07/2008 | ManagementBusinesses have spent way too much money on IT. Now they can pay someone else to do it! THe results are better than before.
An ERP in Your Future?
By: Graeme Nichol | 27/03/2008 | ManagementBusinesses today need more than a few disconnected pieces of software to stay on top of the business. With prices where they are now is the time to take a good look at an ERP.
Setting Your Personal Goals
By: Graeme Nichol | 03/06/2007 | Goal SettingGoal setting is over written about and under used, it has beens hyped by folk who have never set their own plans or made any achievements of their own! What is your excuse.
Management Team - Masters or Myth?
By: Graeme Nichol | 31/05/2007 | Non-FictionA business has a lifespan that is severely reduced if it doesn't learn how to succeed. Much like a child if it did not learn as it developed what would it end up like after a few years. How's your business developing? Is it developing as a Learning Organization?
Why Create an Annual Business Plan?
By: Graeme Nichol | 30/05/2007 | Non-FictionPlan for success; it is about setting a direction and working towards it. Getting your thoughts down on paper helps you to articulate your success.
Discussions are Killing your Business?
By: Graeme Nichol | 25/05/2007 | BusinessIt is all about how you communicate with your team that determines their involvement - or lack of it! We need more dialog and less discussion.
The Elephant in the Room
By: Graeme Nichol | 25/05/2007 | Non-FictionThis article highlights the functional silos management lives in and the problems it can cause. Every manager comes to the table with many years of experience and study behind them. They come with a thorough understanding of their role in the company but a limited understanding of the other Cs roles.
Reporting is Serious Business
By: Graeme Nichol | 24/05/2007 | Non-FictionDeveloping a reporting structure is often a problem for organizations large and small! It's really simple.