Do you remember that confounding answer to Life, The Universe & Everything that floated around for decades? According to the supercomputer Deep Thought*, after 7.5 million years of consideration, it turns out the answer was…42.
Of course, Deep Thought did go on to point out that the answer was meaningless because he wasn’t so sure we were clear on the question.
Isn’t that a major problem with our culture today? We are afraid to ask the real questions, and want simple answers to complex problems. Does anyone else get frustrated at the constant use of the ‘sound bite’ in our culture? Especially during such a politically charged time as the presidential race! I mean, we try to encapsulate gigantic problems from terrorism, to the economy, to healthcare – which have complicated elements and solutions – into a tiny few seconds of sound and the smallest number of words. But that’s crap! Such reduction renders the answers meaningless, just like the number 42 with regards to Life, The Universe and Everything.
And yet we buy into it. We seem to think a sound bite really does have enough info. And then it gets repeated so frequently and so loudly that it becomes accepted as truth; accepted that such complicated issues can actually be reduced to such simplistic opinions. As many politicians well know, “If you speak a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.” With the lack of substantive background, sound bites become lies via the omission of facts, details, plans and stated consequences of choice. And we end up basing our entire judgement of someone, our plans for the future, our deep-seated fears, on a message that euphemistically could fit on the head of a pin. Of course, we know why leaders like sound bites–if they keep their message simple, no one can pick it apart, right? If they remain vague, then they can always counter any criticism by claiming the answer “lies” in the details: ‘you misunderstood me’, and ‘it will all make sense when…’ Forgive me, but that’s not leadership. That’s cowardice.
We’ve got to get outside of the quick answers that are easy to report and easy to listen to. We’ve got to roll up our sleeves to do the long work, the tough study. Change does not happen overnight, it happens over time. We need to be willing to dive deep and go into the complexities and sit in that uncomfortable, scary place that holds the details and contradictions so we can find the larger truth. And this isn’t just true for politics, it’s true in our own lives and the companies and organizations we run. Fast isn’t the measurement of greatness. Excellence and effectiveness are far superior measurements.
It takes courage to be uncomfortable. And it takes real leadership to be confident enough to enter the fray of complex topics, show us around, and be willing to sustain feedback and contradictions. Cowards get defensive and resorts to name calling and insults, but leaders demonstrate restraint, respect and the courage to have their views challenged. One of us is not nearly as smart as all of us. Leadership, true leadership, takes the time to look at the bigger picture instead of relying on knee-jerk reactions. We can’t accept simple, meaningless answers that fit into a sound bite and act like a sugar-high when what we really need is balanced, nutritious, life-sustaining sustenance.
