Leslie, thanks for these concise and timely tips to reframe how managers and leaders look at the people around them. We are getting ready for annual performance appraisals so I may incorporate your ideas – with full credit to you – and Einstein – of course.

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You’ve beautifully captured the scenario that highlights the tension many people feel as they work with leaders who restrict them from working in their sweet spots of talent and skill. I love the quote and the blog!

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Leslie,

You are always making me think.

It sort of reminds me of Miller’s Law.

I have a corrollary problem … staff who are fish and have a path, but want to be squirrels and climb trees because they think that only squirrels succeed. They never notice the awesome fish in the organization, just the squirrels.

Andrew

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Profound, as always, Leslie. If we could let people soar with their strengths rather than complain about things they can’t do, oh, what a wonderful world it would be.

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Thanks, Leslie. Yes, I have to admit, I resonate with this story. Mexico is teaching me a ton about looking for a completely different definition of genius. I just met a woman named Chuey today in a pueblita called San Jose de las Flores who I think has a bunch to teach me about this. What’s hard is…what do I have to teach her? Vamos a ver…

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HI Leslie – great reflections here – asking the question ‘what gift does this person bring’ and truly seeking an answer is a courageous act – especially when the answer isn’t obvious to us. In doing this we cannot help but look at ourselves in the mirror, question our own meaning making process, which puts in question our beliefs and world view. Perhaps that’s why we avoid doing this – after all, if what I’m doing is working well, why risk changing – we do have results to deliver and I wouldn’t want to put that in jeopardy.

The leader you describe here reminds me of Goleman’s ‘Pacesetter’ who says, “I know, follow me, so as I do, NOW.” They’re often successful, often ‘right’ and are hugely effective in turn around situations – though used exclusively or over a long period of time can tend to disempower or create burn out.

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This is a simple yet profound message. It also underscores
the danger for so called geniuses to never go beyond their
perceptual lens. I can also see clear links to Emotional Intelligence.
Thanks very much.

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Thanks to everyone for these great comments. I find the dialogue really enriching…hope you do too!

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Leslie I believe that your concept is the right angle to approach people but recently I have been surrounded by many fishes that do not want to interact enough to even learn to swim and I am not trying to make them climb a tree
Some people in an informal group do not answer to emails in a timely manner:
They do not read their email every day and do not of course answer their email every day and when asked to reply faster their answer is: If it was that urgent, why didn’t you call me, ( the question was not super urgent but in order to make the project go forward an answer within 24 hours would have benefited all parties involved). It is a great waste of the sender’s time to have to send additional emails or to make a call ( a gigantic waste of time for a simple matter). In today’s world email etiquette show that a reply to an Email within 24 hours is a good way to proceed.
I have noticed more than one person around me that are resistant to using email promptly and regularly and in a reliable way.
An additional sign is that if you put three different subjects or matters they will only answer two of the three.
On the other hand they are perfectly comfortable buying on line any product which means that they can use a computer but they limit their use of the computer to menial and instant gratification and never bother to use a computer to at least 20% of its full capabilities.
My conclusion after many observations is that the email behavior I described is one of the sign of dumbness ( if they are under 40 years) but the dumbness has to be confirmed by other signs. I characterize dumbness in this case as an inability to answer in an organized and precise way which then hampers you because of their inability to communicate efficiently to help them. The other solution would be to become a full time help for these people which mean changing your profession.
Even if they are the greatest artist in the world they will make you spend or waste a lot of time dealing with them.
The same people are not organized and without exception they lock themselves out of their home or car, They will also when they make errors shift the blame in an unfair way on somebody else.
With that description of these people that cannot communicate in a modern and efficient way and make one error after another on very simple everyday actions my question is:
What is you recipe to work alongside these people in a non business environment such as: neighborhood council or small charities or amateur sports team?
My question is sincere and serious even if I painted a bleak portrait of my perception of some people
Thank you
Eric

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[...] Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its wh… Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterStumbleUponDiggRedditLike this:LikeOne blogger likes this post. [...]

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Hello,
I came across your blog post recently when I was looking for the exact wording of this Albert Einstein quote to post as a little inspiration for my friends and relatives who are teachers or soon will be. I found your insights direct and interesting and feel that this applies to leading in the classroom as well as the corporate world. I especially liked the thoughtful and introspective questions that followed.
Thank you.

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I disagree with that. Everybody can not be einstein and this is the fact. Accept it. there was just ONE einstein and there are many dumb fishes out there who can’t swim, no body is asking them to climb a tree.

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“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein
Well this quote can cover a multitude of cultural, and social issues in our society today, and in my opinion it all boils down to one thing; perception. Clearly the judge in this statement “perceives” that climbing a tree is of the utmost importance. Therefore the characteristics of the fish, who lives underwater, and has no limbs can be “perceived” as being bad or wrong thereby excluding the fish from any and all other activities. Through this perception bias the mainstream practicing of albeism has gripped us and doesn’t seem to want to let go, because if you don’t look like I look, or can do what I do, the way I do it, then you are not worth of my time or attention. The fish may not be able to climb the tree, but has so many other exceptional talents that will be missed because the focus of the judge is placed on what the fish is incapable of doing. I have found myself guilty many times of referring to a disabled person as “suffering from” their particular condition. However, I find my thought process forever changed by, Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, who writes: I Do Not Suffer From Autism
“I suffer because I live within a social order that calculates human worth based on productivity and conformity.
I suffer because I live in a world that does not honor the gifts that autism brings me.
I suffer because I have learned to apologize for who I am.”

These three simple sentences characterize the tone of our culture. Individuals who have no real understanding of what life is like for a disabled person, not because of their disability, but because of the way it is looked at by those around them. People with disabilities are made to suffer far worse injustices because they, like the fish are incapable of climbing a tree, but are highly capable of greater things. But because of the world they live in that equates their worth to their limitations and makes them ashamed of who they are.

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A genius has limits

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