I remember watching a TruTV episode of “World’s Dumbest” a few months ago. It was a video clip of three Russian-speaking idiots walking out on a frozen lake. They tromped over thin ice and fell in. Not totally. Just enough to walrus around half wet and get really cold. Eventually they managed to haul each other out. But their reputation as intelligent men sank to the bottom.
It’s a good rule of life: stay off thin ice. Literal ice, sure. We all know that. But also the thin ice of speculation and unnecessary risk. In my work with leaders, we all agree that leaders must be confident. But not overconfident. As Intel’s Andy Grove says, “Only the paranoid survive.” There’s a place for humility, for questioning, for looking before we leap.
Leaders must see themselves walking the frozen lake as they lead, followers right behind them. We must stay on solid ice for our sake and theirs. As I study, speak, and advise leaders, I see myself like these Russian idiots, heading out on the frozen lake of life, others in tow. There’s solid ice of truth to hold us up, but just a few steps away, the thin ice of error.
If I’m not careful, I could fall in and Walrus around too. And so could the people I influence.
So I watch for thin ice in the form of speculation, assumption, oversimplification, overconfidence, and so on. I look before I leap. I double-check. I ask others to watch my back. I’m okay with being corrected, because ultimately, it’s not about being the smartest guy in the world. It’s about being the dryest.
