What can the myth teach us about change?
Daedalus Mentor’s dilemma
The status quo is a labyrinth, a maze hard to escape on foot. The only way out is to fly.
The narrative of Daedalus and Icarus is one of the most well-known and intriguing Greek mythology.
The myth describes a miraculous escape from the most complex labyrinth, a maze designed by Daedalus himself. When he and his son Icarus were imprisoned in it, Daedalus realized the only way out was to fly away with giant wings made of whatever he found (branches and wax). He taught Icarus to fly and urged him to avoid the sun.
Daedalus and Icarus were able to escape the Labyrinth and soar freely into the sky. The tale may have concluded there, but there is more to it.
Icarus’ spirit of independence led him to overestimate his abilities and disregard his father’s counsel.
His wings melted from flying too close to the sun, and he perished in the ocean.
What can we learn from this? Three concepts about change.
The Environment
The status quo is a labyrinth, a maze hard to escape on foot. The only way out is to fly.
The first and most important finding is that larger structures are more resistant to change. Compliance procedures, accepted misbehaviors, and parallel power hierarchies are hallways that may or may not lead to a change.
As-Is-To-Be strategies for transformation are like charting corridors to find an exit (not the most efficient manner). They are expensive and, hopeless activities in changing times (think about the impact on the mapping that change regulation, merges, and divestments might have).
The fact is that processes and procedures are status quo conduits that lead by design to significant immobility.
Following the labyrinth analogy, escaping the status quo is easier by consistently applying a principle. In fact, wall-following (placing one hand on a maze wall and then moving while keeping your hand in contact with the wall) increases the odds of reaching the exit.
The protagonists
As with most things in life, dealing with change requires experience.
As consultants and clients, Daedalus and Icarus (father and son) disagree in their understanding of the subject matter. They see the situation differently. Daedalus is knowledgeable, experienced, and resourceful enough to use what he discovers on the ground to ascend above the situation.
How does he accomplish this? He employs his knowledge to adjust the resources accessible to him.
Leaders who don’t have much experience want to put together an “A-team” to solve a problem as if champions working together will always get great results. Change experts don’t think the same way. Since time is a lever, they try to figure out and meet their own unique needs with what they have.
Experience teaches us that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and in fact, a high-performance transformation team sows the seeds for desired outcomes.
Best practices are helpful to the extent that they can be applied to the situation at hand. It’s about timing and resources because a big budget won’t necessarily bring you what you need.
Icarus is a youthful, eager, and strong man. This is sufficient to lift him away with the proper instruction and equipment, but rejecting his father’s leadership too soon has disastrous consequences.
Being reactive when change occurs is insufficient. The consolidation of a new structure and the development of a new behavior do not conclude with the go-live.
Flying over the inertia of the status quo and landing safely on new effective behavior demands even more experience and leadership than leaping over the existing hurdles.
Keeping compliance throughout transformation requires a combination of intuition and expertise.
Inexperience overvalues strength while undervaluing danger. Without competent guidance, failure is possible.
Consulting is not about producing reports. It is not about providing tools. Teaching how to use technology is insufficient.
Consulting is a guiding hand till the flight lands safely.
The mentor’s dilemma
Transformation is about collectively maturing.
The myth does not describe Daedalus’ desperation, although we may picture the grief and regret he felt for failing to save Icarus.
In our transformational context, a change that cannot sustain itself is useless: that’s why the most experienced must hold control until an acceptable degree of awareness is attained.
The effort is wasted if entrusted to immature leaders who lack the field experience to manage the uncertainty.
Daedalus, a mentor lives a dilemma: to which extent to push his control of the flight, and what degree of freedom should his pupil have. Tightening Icarus up would be as limiting as making him flightless. Setting him free brought the harshest consequence.
The more senior players provide a safe environment for the less experienced ones.
Uncertainty about duties and responsibilities uncovers flaws that might uncontrollably retaliate. Successful transformation leaders encourage conversation and self-initiative while maintaining control to imperceptibly intervene before it’s too late.
Conclusions
Myths belong to our cultural heritage. Their educational worth transcends historical aspects and may teach us about the conduct of a group during a transformation.
Myths, like other storytelling, in change leaders’ hands become an operational and strategic instrument that facilitates the transition from the status quo by imbuing future actions with meaning.
Reading the tale of Daedalus and Icarus through the lens of transformation teaches us that rising beyond the praxis does not always necessitate instruments outside of the context, but rather the ability to innovate with the resources at hand.
Knowing how to read and decode what happens after the shift, as well as arming oneself with appropriate tools and utilizing them with discretion, necessitates intelligence and prudence that come with experience, thus the guide to change should stay solid in those with greater experience.
The bare minimum for everyone involved in the transition is to contribute to the accomplishment of the new balance by expanding shared awareness of the new environment.