Avoiding Wild Boars - Touch the White Fence
By Dr. Jim Loehr
What role does emotion play in completing any important mission or objective? To help our clients answer these questions, we often put them through a simple test that even the toughest NFL superstars who come to our HQ facility in Orlando Florida typically fail.
The test is administered in small groups of three to five people. The group is given a simple mission - to follow a wilderness trail adjacent to our property for one mile, touch a white fence that crosses the path at the one-mile marker and return to the training center in under 18 minutes. For an elite athlete, running two miles in 18 minutes is hardly challenging.
However, prior to the mission's start, the runners are told to stay alert, as there are water moccasins and alligators in the area. Both can be dangerous and are sometimes on the running path because of a small canal that runs parallel to the trail. A stern reminder is again given to complete the mission - "touch the white fence and return in under 18 minutes." A final warning is made seconds before starting: "Heads up! Pay attention to this. We have wild boars in Florida, and they are mean and aggressive. If you see a wild boar, take appropriate action, but complete the mission!"
With that final instruction, the runners begin the mission… GO!
What the athletes don't realize is that approximately half a mile into the run, a staff member who is hidden in the brush ready to make the sound of a wild boar. The response of the runners is fully captured on video, and it almost always produces the same result - pure terror! They immediately turn around and sprint back to the training center in complete panic, some screaming at the top of their lungs. When they arrive, we ask just one question, "Did you complete the mission?" The only explanation they offer for their failure is, "We heard something."
A completely different response is produced when we administer the same test to elite law enforcement units, or business leaders who have completed our training previously. They are taught that panic is never an acceptable response, regardless of the situation. They are trained to read and react effectively. At the sound of the wild boar these individuals invariably stop, turn in the direction of the sound and assume a crouched, ready position. They quickly assess the situation and determine no wild boar is present, then smile and proceed to complete the mission.
Two important conclusions can be drawn from the wild boar test.
The first is that any mission or goal, no matter how simple, can quickly be derailed when the emotions of those involved are not properly aligned with it. Second, people can train to respond effectively to almost any crisis or adversity. Dan Goleman, author of the best-selling book, "Emotional Intelligence," would describe this response as an "emotional hijacking." The test situation caused the athletes' rational brains (neocortex) to be completely bypassed, and primitive survival instincts took control. In that instant, the mission was doomed. For many, overcoming this requires a major upgrade in how mental and emotional energy is managed.
As many HR leaders fully understand, emotions play a critical role in employee engagement, change management, and leadership in an organization. There are plenty of "wild boar" situations that pop up in corporate life today - whether actually real or merely perceived as real. A merger or acquisition, a sudden decline in market share, new competition, an economic downturn, or an unexpected change in senior leadership can trigger similar but no less dramatic emotional hijackings that collectively disengage a workforce at the very moment when their collective talent and skill is needed most.
When a workforce goes into survival mode, when primitive emotions such as anger and fear dominate the corporate culture, talent and skill levels begin to freeze up. Decisions are made differently, and creativity and collaboration - the life support for innovation and growth - become seriously impaired.
People perform best when they are driven by opportunity-based emotions. When a workforce can sustain feelings of challenge, opportunity, hope and adventure, in spite of the persistent threats from "wild boars," engagement and productivity can remain high.
Emotions, whether opportunity-based or Survival-based, are also highly contagious. One of the greatest challenges facing managers is how to use "wild boar" incidents to help individuals assess situations and react effectively in service of the real objectives. Every story a leader tells, every memo, e-mail, voice mail, every communication and even their body language carry an emotional message. That message, however subtle, drives engagement, productivity and learning, or serves to derail them.
It all begins with knowing what your "white fence" really is. So…Do you?
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TAKING ACTION THIS MONTH:
Take some time to get clear on how you define success in your organizatonal role. What is your white fence?
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