We love a good Villain

We love a good villain just as much as we love a super hero. Some how we love to be called scondrals and scallywags and to learn leardership from Attila the Hun. I am clearly part of this trend...or perhaps I am pirating the trend...of making the truly hard work of leardership sound more fun. And more of an adventure. And more powerful.

OK...there was a book about Pooh, but have you ever heard anyone cite it? Call themselves a leader like a "bear of small brain?" How many times do we use the image of the humble leader rather than the hero? Rarely. We want to be part of the reality TV trend and be considered brave and heroic for doing our jobs. We are the leaders who drive across ice road, ax tall trees, fish in deadly waters, and find secrets in the depth of a junk yard.

So why am I willing to continue with Pirates? Because I know that we need metaphors. Humans are mythic and methaphorical creatures. We create meaning in our world through stories. This is the reason that the great myths survive, and the reason that movies of mythic tales (think Star Wars, Harry Potter, or the Hunger Games) capture our imgaination. We want to be part of something bigger. We want to be seen as brave and fearless, and willing to buck the system. We want to be thought of as leaders who do not just "follow the rules."

Maybe we all want to be Mossad, Israeli secret service agents, or Marine pilots, one of the special few. We would rather have the Mossad motto (For by wise guidance you can wage your war) than one used by Rabbi Tarfon ( We are not obligated to finish the task, neither are we free to neglect it). We would rather see ourselves as mavricks, independent brilliant leaders who beat the system, than ones who know we are in service to others.

So where to Pirates come in? Pirates knew they could not sail the ship alone. They sailed at the edge of the fleet and bucked the societal rules, but for the good of all aboard. The battle captian was voted in...and could be voted out. The pilot had to be the best sailor or the crew would not agree to sail.

Yes, the pirate metaphor is another way of adding excitment to our self definition. Yes, we love the romantic version of scallywags and scondrals and pirates. And yes, humble quiet leaders are just as powerful and successful as loud mavricks. But we need to remember that integrity is still an element of good leadership. We need to learn the difference between the romance and the reality of our myths. We need to be aware of the part of the myth that we can live and should live, and the parts we need to leave behind. Or perhaps the elements we need to add.

Finally, we need to remember that the myth is internal, a way to build guidlines for actions. We are not really waging wars or battleing evil or using our skills with a sword. We are helping good sailors deal with uncertain seas, and that is often enough of a challenge even for pirates.

Pirate Destiny

Pirates radically embrace their destiny.


The word destiny is a sailor’s term meaning to align your ship with nothing earth bound, to point yourself in the direction of the stars. Pirates know that every moment is rich with information sent by to guide them, and they steer by nonphysical markers. Pirates see the world as miraculous rather than threatening, serendipitous rather than capricious. This perspective keeps them from letting the part of them that is afraid make their decisions. Pirates never let their fears steer the ship. Rather than resisting what life brings them, pirates are astonished by nothing and find wonder in everything.

I am posting the mermaid story in small parts:
http://ping.fm/4oK1o

Read the new post in my blog:

http://ping.fm/MNtnO

At the fringes

There is a wonderful article about complex companies that survive more than 200 years. In many ways these companies are similar to cities or states...or even countries. For example, one of the aspects is that these companies tolerate and often encourage eccentric activities at the margins. This is very similar to the notion of pirates...letting activity at the edges be exploratory and provocative.

Here is a link to the article:

http://designmind.frogdesign.com/articles/the-connected-company.html

Why do we design education around assessment and accreditation instead of around students? Why are registrars more important than students?

A man meets a guru in the road. The man asks the guru, “Which way is success?”

The berobed, bearded sage speaks not but points to a place off in the distance.

The man, thrilled by the prospect of quick and easy success, rushes off in the appropriate direction. Suddenly, there comes a loud splat.

Eventually, the man limps back, tattered and stunned, assuming he must have misinterpreted the message. He repeats his question to the guru, who again points silently in the same direction.

The man obediently walks off once more. This time the splat is deafening, and when the man crawls back, he is bloody, broken, tattered, and irate.

“I asked you which way is success,” he screams at the guru. “I followed the direction you indicated. And all I got was splatted! No more of this pointing! Talk!”

Only then does the guru speak, and what he says is this: “Success IS that way. Just a little AFTER the splat.”