We are all desperately trying steer our organizations safely home, through the storms and whirlpools of this deadly pandemic. But is normality the right destination anymore? Join us as we explore in this, the second of our short series of posts distilling leadership lessons from classic stories of the journey home.
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“It has been seven years since the horrors of the Trojan War ended and Odysseus, King of Ithaca, turned his ships homeward. Seven hard, confusing years when he and his men have been repeatedly driven off course by storms, captivity and shipwrecks. And still they are not home.
“Will they ever return? Battle-scarred, weary and afraid, their hearts ache for the touch of their loved ones, for the simple comfort of old familiar ways, for peace and ease. But as their ship bucks and plunges through the blinding spray, Odysseus knows that day will not come soon.
“Suddenly the winds fall silent and there is dead calm. Then come the voices, drifting across the still waters. Such voices. Sweet and soothing, balm for the homesick heart. They sing of warmth and safety and contentment so deep that all wanting is stilled. Come, they call, here is the safe harbor you have been seeking, here are the old times you knew and loved. Come stay with us.
“The men begin to turn the ship towards the irresistible voices. Odysseus must act, for these are the Sirens, and no mortal who hears their song has ever lived to tell of it. Quickly, he orders his men to melt beeswax and use it to block their ears, and to lash him to the ship’s mast to prevent him from steering towards the Sirens. He tells them that if he falls under the Sirens’ spell and orders them to change course, they must disobey his commands.
“As the wax blocks out the enchanting song, the men see that the rocks towards which the Sirens were calling them are piled high with the skeletons and rotting corpses of previous voyagers. Odysseus, securely bound to the mast, is entranced and pleads with his men to sail towards the Sirens, but they ignore him and steer the ship safely through the narrow straits. They survive to continue their voyage home, and Odysseus becomes the only living mortal who has heard the song of the Sirens.”
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Today, with life as we knew it upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all trying to steer our organizations home. What lessons can we draw from this episode in Homer’s Odyssey? There are many, but here are three key ones:
Lesson #1: Break your patterns
Old tracks lead to old traps. Odysseus’s trusted advisor, the sorceress Circe, had warned him earlier not to become ensnared by the Sirens. He objects, saying in essence, “can’t I just kill them?” She strongly warns him against acting rashly and reflexively. She challenges him not to fall back into any of his old ways of thinking and behaving. “So stubborn! Hell bent yet again on battle and feats of arms?” In essence, do you think you can just bludgeon your way through? It won’t work. You will all die trying. This threat isn’t like anything you’ve encountered before, so abandon all old methods.
Lesson #2: Align and trust your team
Circe knows him well and advises that if he can’t trust himself to not default to old reactive behavior, he should have himself lashed to the mast, so he’s in no way tempted. That’s tough love. Does he have the courage and discipline to not repeat old ways and to show his leadership by resisting at all costs? She then tells him to have his men stuff their ears with beeswax so they are not tempted by either the Sirens or his pleas to give up and return to his/their old ways. He must initiate that action. He must melt and shape the beeswax and then see to it that everyone follows this course of action. He must proactively demonstrate that there’s no turning back to old ways of thinking and acting.
Lesson #3: Access your inner wisdom
Circe adds one more challenge, possibly the most difficult. If Odysseus and his men survive the Sirens, she describes two dangerous encounters they will contend with immediately after. She then adds: “I cannot advise you which route to take, or lead you through it all. You must decide for yourself.” Odysseus must begin listening to and trusting his own inner guide, his own voice. He must identify the most meaningful course forward. He must tap into his true humanity to find home within himself, which will result in successfully reaching his family home.
As you help your organization figure out what “home” means now and how to get there, do you see parallels with Odysseus’s struggles? What lessons do you draw from it? What other stories do you reflect on when you need leadership insights and help? Please share them in the comments below. Let’s think together about how to go home without going back
You can read the first post in this series here .
Tony Tiernan is president of Authentic Identity, Inc
Allen Schoer is chairman of The TAI Group, Inc