Story 03: The Shore
The story: They agreed to row towards the shore. Neither asked which shore, because when you are sitting in the same boat it feels like you must be looking at the same horizon. They were not. They rowed hard, in opposite directions, and went nowhere.
What it means for organisations: A shared goal is not a shared direction. Organisations spend enormous energy getting everyone to agree on the destination and almost none checking whether everyone is picturing the same route. Same goal, opposite pull, and the effort is what makes it expensive. Two people rowing lazily towards different shores at least drift somewhere.
Where next?
Read the comic as text
The Alignment Gap, Story 3
by Stavros Stavru, Ph.D. (weallagreed.com)
Scene 1: The lake
A calm lake surrounded by distant wooded shores, with reeds and rocks at the water's edge. Axel and Ally sit facing each other in a small rowboat, each holding a yellow oar. Axel, smiling, gestures confidently toward Ally, who smiles back, oar in hand.
Axel: Alright, we agree to row towards the shore!
Banner between scenes: “What could go wrong?”
Scene 2: The middle of the lake
Seen from far away, the little boat sits in the very center of the lake, the shores equally distant on every side. Yellow ripples circle the boat, which isn't going anywhere. Axel and Ally, shown as small silhouettes, both throw up their hands in confusion.
Axel: We're stuck! Rowing opposite ways!
Ally: Obviously! With the shore equally distant, we assumed different directions.
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