Preparing to Soar

As we chart our course out of the economic crisis, we understand that courage is required in large doses. Our great American icon, the Bald Eagle, provides an interesting lesson. First a question: would you jump out of a tree, several hundred feet above the forest floor, never having flown before?

Somewhere in the 2 to 4 month period, the fledgling eagle learns to fly. Flying is not an easy task. In preparation, mom & dad feed it constantly until it weighs more than they! Then the with-holding of food begins, and weight loss follows. All along, the parents fly by the nest with food in their talons or mouth. But instead of coming into the nest, they fly by to tempt the eaglet. As the fledgling gets critically emaciated, it becomes desperate for food. Sooner or later the eaglet, as the parent passes by, dives out for the food, misses, and has to glide, flap, and flounder his way to the ground. The parent then drops the food by the eaglet as a reward. During the next several days the parents look after the fledgling, teaching it to fly and hunt. This only happens following the jump; no jump, no learning. No learning, certain death.

Aren't we like the bird, safe in its nest, knowing we need to take the plunge, wanting the food (reward, outcome), but paralyzed by fear, & not acting until things become totally desperate? What is the final motivation for the fledgling to jump? Well, it's starvation and sure death, versus jumping to an "unsure" death. The bird understands the choice, and whether by instinct or a more intelligent decision, it not only survives (90% of the fledglings who jump out of the nest survive to fly, hunt, and mature), but thrives.

We often wait so long to become more aggressive in our stance that we risk choking our people and materially damaging the organization. We then emerge weaker and less able to compete. Our competitors leave us behind and our customers seek them out rather than us. As the "intelligent life", we need to overcome the fear with logic & reasoning. We must summon the courage to "lead" taking the plunge.

The last 2 articles, Recognizing Opportunities . . ., and The Fundamentals of Courage . . . made the logical point. The data shows & confirms it. We must act, and the time to act is now.

Hopefully, the fledgling eagle has made the emotional point; just take the jump!