Aliens from Babel on Groundhog Day
“There was a tribe which became successful, rich, and so arrogant that they decided to build a tower, tall enough to allow them to walk directly into heaven, without divine intercession.
As the work began, and progressed over time; the Almighty became angry and levied a curse on the tribe. The next morning as they awoke and began speaking, they slowly became aware that each was speaking a different tongue.
They eventually fell away from one another, and found solace in the four corners of the earth…”
-The Tower of Babel (Also Balbel, Balbil, Balal, Bab-ilim, etc.)
Recurring Ancient Legend, explaining mankind’s various languages.
Has it occurred to you lately that you might be from Babel?
Have you spent a couple of fruitless hours conversing, cajoling, begging (perhaps pleading, then weeping) with your IT department to help you resolve a data reporting problem?
Has Marketing listened (or simply pretended…) to your concerns about the next publication; then gone off and done something guaranteed to make the Chairman look good; while leaving your customers in the dark?
Has the Staff decided to schedule cleaning exercises right in the middle of your regular Monday conference call?
Have the members of the Sales Team (or the prospects…) failed to appreciate the sheer genius of the Institutional Portfolio Team (as evidenced in the 86 page, 12-point, single-spaced, closely reasoned series of arguments toward a Unified Portfolio Management Strategy)?
Do you find yourself contemplating alcoholism, suicide or a long vacation to escape from these aliens? You may be from Babel.
In our experience; the curse is not just ancient; but perennial — and it keeps on repeating itself — every morning.
“None of us is broken, but we’re all incomplete — in different ways…”
-Getting Your Boss’s Number
By Michael J. Goldberg
A modest proposal…
Perhaps if we start each day with the understanding that everyone we meet is newly arrived from Babel — and though they may look familiar — communication is fraught with disaster unless we lay some fresh groundwork — daily!
“Hi. Good to see you. My name’s Bob. What’s yours?”
(Of course, you know her name… But this establishes the “new moment” aspect of things and — delivered with a touch of irony — will lead to a smile of understanding…)
“Hey Ellen. I’ve got a challenge that could really use your contribution. Can you help me? First, may I tell you what I think my challenge is, then what I think I want; and perhaps we could finish by agreeing on a plan together? Good? Or maybe you can tell me if I should go somewhere else? Then maybe we can agree in detail about how the outcome should look, and how we should stay in touch along the way.”
Admittedly, these are simple suggestions, but we think many of the challenges we experience with our “foreign friends around the company” arise just because we assume too much and check too little at the start. (Insert old joke about “ASS-U-ME” here…) The cure is to clear every last area of assumption before leaving that first conversation; then to form explicit, shared agreements in the form of a written plan, which everyone consults — daily.
If you think you’re working among strangers, you’re right! Every corporation has a complete complement of alien associates — all of whom together possess the unique skills required to make things work — or not…
The doers want to jump to it and start making stuff… The analysts want to step back and think about it for a long time. The accountants want to label and count everything — with lots of reports and spreadsheets. The socializers want to go from office to office pollinating, making everyone happy and going to lunch. The creatives want to blue sky a few things. The bosses want it yesterday. The shareholders just want more money. The politicians want the credit. The techies want new software and toys and to lord it over those cretins who don’t “grok” technology. The control freaks want lots of meetings, where they ask endless questions. The designers want it all to look good. The egotists want to appear smart while covering their ignorance. The lazy ones want it all to go away, because they have too much to do.
So it’s not just a language issue; it’s a difference of perspectives and values too. With people reverting back to their own zero point every twenty-four hours. “Groundhog Day?” You bet!
We tend to get into trouble by assuming that our alien associates share not only our language but also our point of view — after all — we got along so well just yesterday. Exactly — before the curse kicked in again this morning.
So. New Reality! Each day begins a new attempt to build a consensus and move the ball forward. And each day requires us to refresh the foundations of our shared understandings — because we’re working against the curse. And we must simply stand and deliver because the alternative is to find an empty corner of the world with no one to misunderstand us.
Applications:
1. Individually:
Ever seen a nasty tourist, who assumed that everyone else should speak his language and share his politics and perspective? Certainly, it’s humbling — and it helps you consider that your best course of action is to always act as if you are a considerate guest when dealing with others… Now take that assumption with you when you rise tomorrow — because the curse will certainly kick in again.
2. At Home:
It’s hardest at home of course — because we spend so much time together. These are my children — my flesh! Certainly, they share my politics, my feelings, my attitudes about money, culture, education and breeding. Or not. Aliens! But surely my spouse will remember the love we shared just yesterday… Nope! It’s a new day! So be polite and treat these aliens as honored guests.
3. At Work:
It would be reasonable to expect that the agreements we’ve spent years together creating and benefitting from at the office would persist; and form the foundation for more years of profit and good works. Yeah. But you forgot the curse. So the work begins again today… “Here’s how I see the challenge. How ’bout you?”
If time worked as it appears — sequentially with continuity — we might expect to lay a foundation Monday, and be halfway to heaven by next month… But then nothing works the way it looks. That’s the curse. Every moment is a new moment, and every person a stranger — until we realize none of us is broken.
Every day we must reach out again — to complete each other.
Dessert: Enjoy a scene from “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. In the last scene of the clip, the French poem he recites is “La Bourrée du Célibataire” by Jacques Brel:
“La fille que j’aimera
Sera comme bon vin
Qui se bonifiera
Un peu chaque matin.”
Which in English roughly translates: “The girl that I will love will be like a fine wine, who will improve a little each morning.”
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