Look around you. If you look carefully enough you will see them. They are the people who seem as though they live on the edge but they don't break a sweat - it's the flavour of their lives. The gypsy, the seeker, the one who lives fully - irrespective of how they live or what they dream to do. The one who doesn't back off at the sight of overalls or pretend to be something they aren't - the real people. I heard a quote that I think fits here, I don't know who said it but here it is "Display has its purpose but simplicity must rule our hearts." These ‘extraordinary’ people simply do what they do because their hearts say they must.
Does it mean that they don't sweat sometimes, that at other times they don’t stamp their foot in frustration? No, not at all - humanity is a common affliction, not something anyone can truly avoid if they are to live a full life, irrespective of the 'new age' descriptions of perceived divinity or the lack thereof. Why am I saying this?
Just this week I have witnessed an ‘idjit’ (from a distance), who for the sake of creating the illusion of power for an audience, took an 'extraordinary' square peg and tried to force it into a round hole. (Wouldn’t it be great if I had just created a new buzz word for acknowledging the people who don't subscribe to average - in an Ayn Rand kind of way :-). This 'extraordinary' has the unenviable and almost impossible role of trying to turn a pig's ear into a silk purse, note I said almost impossible. I still believe in miracles and the power of extraordinary.
The ‘idjit’ has been behaving badly for about three weeks, the 'extraordinary' allowed the unacceptable behaviour until this week, trying to cut some slack. ‘Extraordinary’ then spoke about it to ‘idjit’ and behind closed doors negotiated a win-win. At the very next meeting, the win-win promptly fell through the floorboards. Reason: an audience caused the 'idjit' to ignore and conveniently forget what had been discussed, promptly causing 'idjit' to revert to corporate arm wrestling and embarrassment to try and squeeze a magnificent square peg into a micro-managed round hole. The logic of what was required for the work being done was sacrificed because ‘idjit’ is 'boss' (I didn't say leader) and said so. In case you're wondering: what 'idjit' did was comparable to a CEO performing a mail room messenger’s job despite 'extraordinary' advising against it. Didn’t make any sense on any level.
The 'extraordinary' left the meeting feeling stunned, humiliated and angry. Here is the rub... if megalomania causes rationality dysfunction in corporate leaders, and simultaneously creates deafness to the calls of someone trying to lead them through a minefield, should the person who is irrational, deaf and of questionable intelligence be put in the position to lead in the first place?
What is the result of the ‘idjit’ and ‘extraordinary’ parable?
In taking the hammer and pounding ‘extraordinary’ into the round hole, 'idjit' lost someone who had his back - circumstance had created the unusual situation where 'idjit' didn't have to ask for support or build a relationship with ‘extraordinary’ over long periods of time, it was given unconditionally and immediately because ‘extraordinary’ had built the vision with someone else ‘extraordinary’. Now ‘idjit’ has squandered that privilege and will never regain the advantage because ‘extraordinary’ doesn’t believe in being led by an ‘idjit’. Initially I explained the stupidity of it away, because it was and still is stupid, by thinking that 'idjit' has only been in this role for a month - then I remembered 'idjit' has been with the company for a while now- so who are the real 'idjits'?
How does someone land on a top rung without being groomed to handle themselves before they are required to handle others? I wonder whether having ‘greatness thrust upon’ them is so wise when all the bridges they burn can't be rebuilt. Surely the costs are too great to be ignored? Or am I being living in a utopian state about real leadership correcting the crap, sorry I meant closing the gap, for generations to come?
In the meantime 'extraordinary' has made the decision to do what is asked without pushing back, to give what is asked and nothing more because ‘idjit’s’ power trip and futile struggle to look powerful, means that ‘idjit’ will make life and work unnecessarily difficult. Something ‘extraordinary’ didn’t sign up for since ‘extraordinary’ is as ‘extraordinary’ does, nothing to prove.
I look into my crystal ball and offer that the minute the scope of work has been completed and handed off, ' extraordinary' will transfer. 'Extraordinary' has much to offer but 'idgit' will never know that. ‘Idjit’ will remain blissfully and stupidly ignorant to the fact that something ‘extraordinary’ could have changed the world of ‘idjit’. It was lost forever because history shows us ‘idjits’ don’t have the natural capacity to wield power intelligently or respect the 'extraordinary'.
In the words of Steve Jobs:
"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
Yup, cheers to 'extraordinary' – is that you?
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