Better late than never.
I usually use my first posts of the new year to talk about three things: my Annual Review, my Top Blog Posts, & my Top Five Metaphors of the previous year. I got two of the three done.
I’ve avoided this post—primarily because it’s so late in the year. But now I’m on deployment—what better time to catch up? I drafted my list last December—but never put the pen to paper. But this post is important to me—as a writer, I use my blog to show my work as much to save ideas I’ll come back to someday. Metaphors that hit me are things I use elsewhere—things I constantly think about and try referring back to as a leader.
From everything I learned in 2013—books, live events (like World Domination Summit), and the places/people I met—five key metaphors stuck out. And being almost a year later—the fact these metaphors still stand out illustrate how much I learned in applying them and looking at the world through their lens.
1: Two Islands (Campaigning & Governance)
I was one of 30 military Officers to complete the Coast Guard’s first leadership program for mid-grade Officers—Officers w/10+ years of service and ranked at least Lieutenant Commander. Part of our culture says this rank is “tenured” because you’re almost guaranteed a retirement—though I’ve had leaders scold me otherwise–regardless, it’s considered an important, transitional point in a military career.
Part of this leadership course was a three-week residence in Washington, DC. While there–we listened to three of the five highest Officers in the entire service. We were also able to listen to several other senior Officers who by our definition are on the “fast track”—most likely to earn Flag Rank.
One of these Officers had extensive experience working as a liaison and staffer in the Beltway. He told his perspective about the Beltway that made 100% sense. In the Beltway—there are two domains, “Islands” if you will: The Island of Campaigning & the Island of Governance. The Island of Campaigning is the trail—it’s the battlefield. A politician striving for office must win the campaign—and they do almost anything to do so. But once that politician is sworn in—they change tack. That politician has crossed over onto the Island of Governance—here, the politician realizes how much salt their campaign promises carry. And it may not be much—but in Governance, you don’t have to abide by those promise rules. You abide by whatever it takes to stay in Governance.
The Departure from Campaigning to Governance (photo by @ photogrammaton via Flickr)
It’s like Peter Russo in House of Cards. He campaigned on the backs of the people he grew up with—but then governed as a maligned hedonist. Those in power can’t—or don’t—follow the same code as those out of power. Once I realized the power of this metaphor—I got DC. Mr. Smith can’t go to Washington anymore–because he won’t win, filibuster or not. I don’t know if that’s what the Founders intended, but that’s what we got.
2: One Ring (to Rule Them All)
As a consultant—I often see clients narrowing down to one solution as fast as possible. I often see clients saying “it must be training”—then go off on a training tirade until they realize their half-aimed training doesn’t solve the underlying problem they want solved.
You’ve seen me lament and hate on the American Dream—but it’s another example of this mindset. This idea of there being a singular dream for every middle-class American. And if you don’t want the dream—whether it’s the single-family home, 2.3 kids, 2 cars, requisite credit card debt, or the hidden secrets in the basement—you’re weird.
I’m sorry–that “Dream” is a little too weird for my taste.
I love LOTR—and I like how there’s so much energy in this series to find, horde, or destroy this 1 ring. The One Ring to Rule Them All. Yet we often see people looking for the One Ring. The 1 book that can answer the question, the 1 person who can understand them, the 1 thing that completes everything else.
Unfortunately—that’s not the case. There is no 1 Ring. There may be a better solution that makes other solutions not needed—but there isn’t a One Ring. If you’re in a mid-sized factory, there might be a quality control process that reduces mishaps and cost—but it’s not going to be the solution when people decide they don’t want to work there anymore, no matter how much safer the work is.
One Ring can’t Rule Them All—if you find yourself looking for it, you’re looking for the wrong thing.
There is no One Ring to Rule You (photo by @mk1971 via Flickr)
3. Guts to Skin, Skin to World
“When you grow your own personal brand— the brand that’s from your SKIN TO THE WORLD—if you’re not careful, if you focus too much on checking the boxes, you can injure the brand that’s from your GUTS TO THE SKIN.” —Marc Ecko, Unlabel
If you haven’t read Unlabel—go read it this week. It’s that good—not because it’s a rags to riches to ruin to resolution story, but because it’s also a piece of art. Where else will your see Warren G juxtaposed on a split photo with Thoreau, Marcus Garvey with Bruce Lee. Ecko does that and more—he bares his entire soul in this book. You feel the roller coaster he went through to make his brand and let it loose into the wild.
As you read it—you feel like you’re living through hip hop history. You’re also seeing some old school lessons still have relevance today. When Ecko talks about “swag bombs”—I was taking notes, thinking about how I could do the same thing as a writer. Ecko took his shot and made something memorable—he recalls in vivid detail when his long shots paid off. He also recalls in agonizing detail when due diligence wasn’t paid—it took Swagger, Brute Force, and Governance to make the Ecko brand. Yet when Governance—embodied in his sister—left the business, he strapped in for the fall.
Throughout the book—Ecko exemplifies his definition of true authenticity: Guts to Skin, Skin to the World. It’s visceral, and wise beyond measure. Who we are (guts to skin) must resonate with how we want to experience the world (skin to the world)—or we will end up betraying ourselves. Unlabel is a cautionary tale of walking that line—as beautiful to see as it is to read. Go get it.
4. Four Burner Stove
“One burner represents your family, one is your friends, the third is your health, and the fourth is your work.” The gist, she said, was that in order to be successful, you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful, you have to cut off two.”
Which Burner Will You Put Out? (photo by @onenjenifer via Flickr)
We live lives built on sacrifice. We have to sacrifice the bottom half of our to-do lists to even close to what we planned in the top half. We all have pockets of our lives neglected and forgotten—and while we pretend those cobwebs aren’t in those corners, eventually we have to face the truth. No one successful succeeds through balance.
“Work-life balance” is a myth—noted in this metaphor David Sedaris lifts during one of his journeys. It’s a stark image—burning all four burners means we burn out fast. To save ourselves—we knowingly have to sacrifice something. The truly great sacrifice more than most to perform the best. It sounds like a bad bargain—but it’s not. What would you give to be the best in the world? Or what would you give for the family of your dreams?
Reading this made me think about how I live my life—what would I sacrifice? What would I sacrifice if I really had the choice? When you read about great artists and how they got to where they are—you’ll read a lot about innovation and creation. But you don’t read too much about the other side—about what they abandoned and sacrificed on their path. Whether intentional or not—it’s time for all of us to consider imbalance to be the normalcy humanity needs to thrive.
5. Broken Dreams/Broken Lances
This is the difference between LA & DC—between East Coast and West Coast. Between working a cubicle crusade and wandering Hollywood Boulevard at 3am (and yes, I’ve done both).
In the eternal recession–many places have become ordeals where dreams don’t come true. It’s sad and scary to think about—but we all know people who identify themselves by their broken dreams. It’s not about what they’ve done—it’s about what they weren’t able to do. Kinda sad really—but as I approach 35, I’m accepting the truth most of my life may be behind me. And I’ve done absolutely nothing to live out my dreams.
Does that make me or my dreams broken?
On the other hand—you’ve got people who charge off into battle like Don Quixote. They have a passionate cause or calling—they draw down their lance towards their target…and charge into it. Only to realize it’s a windmill.
Just as LA is littered with broken dreams, DC is littered with broken lances.
Broken Lances (photo by @One_Lucky_guy via Flickr)
This metaphor is powerful because it forces me to reconsider what it means to be broken. Just because our dreams don’t come true—or our righteous cause is crushed—doesn’t mean we’re broken as well. If we identify with the failure—we become the failure. The challenge is to accept and adapt from the failure—to find fortune through a different future.
The Meaning
Metaphors are the bits and pieces we identify within any story. Often—a metaphor can change a culture. The American Dream is a metaphor that’s been long since unrealizable, but still carries sway on our perspective. Modern sports are revered by historic metaphors—even though it’s usually grown men playing children’s games.
The metaphors you use determine the world you view. Take note of your metaphors—and of the metaphors you learn. And you’ll learn a new way of seeing everything. What metaphors have shaken your perception?