Trigger Question #167:
Once upon a time, I was the boss of two long-haired black Belgian Shepherds of the Groenendael breed. Basil and Teasel. What matters to my story is not the breed, nor their names, but that they were shepherds. As you will see.
We shared a yard that was secured by a high 8-foot fence, one that we could see through. Some of the neighborhood kids often threw comments at Basil and Teasel through the fence. Were they teasing comments? Maybe.
Well, one day I was walking with Basil and Teasel in the open parkland next to our house. Off-leash. Because they were gentle, people-friendly dogs. Or so I thought. I had not noticed that those neighborhood kids were playing near the stream, but the shepherds spotted them. That’s when their herding nature kicked in. Teasle run up to them, faced them, and barked. It sounded like a friendly bark to me, because I spoke Shepherd-lingo (or so I thought). She was simply attracting their attention so that she could greet them. How cute.
Like hell it was cute. I suddenly noticed Basil was not with her. He had taken off, running a wide circle to approach the kids from the rear. Uh-oh. With every kid watching Teasel, he had no problem homing in unnoticed on the one kid, the one who had often stood close to the fence, the one who had probably done the teasing.
Basil nipped him on the butt.
And the kid? The kid turned around and said, “Basil! Push off.” (What did Basil say? “Got you! No fence to hide behind now.” Or yaps to that effect.)
The moral of the story? Not every black dog aiming for your butt wants to hurt you. No, wait. That’s not it. It’s this. Not every black dog barking at you is the danger.
How often has this not happened to you at work? Something goes wrong. A problem surfaces. Where? Conveniently, right there in front of you. But by now you should know better.
If something makes a racket in front of you, trying to hold your attention, it will behoove you to look around. All around. Especially behind you. Look toward the not-so-obvious direction.
Of course, always begin by considering a situation or a problem head-on. But don’t stop there. Look at it from all sides. Even from the top and the bottom. Consider all six angles (count them). That’s how you form an all-inclusive picture of what’s going on. Then you can plan and implement a comprehensive, constructive response. (You’ll be able to say, “Basil! Push off” before he even gets near you.) Did I understand all this as Basil streak in from behind? Of course not.
The team strategy used by the shrewd shepherds intrigued me too much. So much so that I did not act to stop Basil. And Teasel’s barking had fooled me. My focus, like that of the kids, was one-sided. The danger, as danger wants, was sneaking in from a different angle.
The kids and I we were facing the wrong problem.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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Quote of the Moment: “I could have been a shepherd, but my staff was a crook.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
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