Once upon a time, there was a little engine that pulled stalled train cars over a mountain and down to the station.
Against all odds, the little engine dug deep into its sense of self-worth, and did something incredible—something much larger engines would not. Hurrah! Bravo, little engine! Confidence saved the day and the little engine could puff its chest with pride in itself.
Looked at one way, this is a story of heroism and jumping into a role when no one else will. As a society, we need people to buck some norms now and again toward progress.
We can also look at this story in another, maybe more iconoclastic way.
There’s a great big challenge. Management comes round to folks in the workplace and asks who’ll lead it on a shoestring. Experienced staff scoff. “Nope,” they say. "Bad idea.” But, there’s someone ambitious on the team. Now, don’t get me wrong. Ambition is just fine. But this ambitious team member lacks experience and swims in a shallow pool of hubris. It takes on this project to show up the rest of the team, even though it does with no practice, no strategy, and no role model. And, by gum! It gets the job done. Well done! But friends: at what cost? Maybe the little engine breaks down. It can’t do the job again, because it was so focused on building momentum and focusing on keeping its top from popping, it learned little along the way about how to replicate the work. So much effort for such a high price.
This might be a harsh way to look at a beloved tale that has encouraged so many to keep going when facing what seem to be insurmountable challenges. The original version gives us a story that praises individual effort without thinking about how much we really need others around us. Retellings give us a chance to explore stories in a new way; they give clarity to problems that might stick us in quicksand. In this retelling, we can think about how the little engine might have engaged with more experienced teammates to create a group that could share the work and avoid burnout. Different perspectives can bring speed, energy, and strength to a project, leading to healthier outcomes for everyone involved.
Stories don’t need a hero to be compelling. They need to be relatable.
If you have a story that needs retelling, book time with me. Finding your story is what I do best—with your help 🙂