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Conversations in Management

Charles Dodgson (A.K.A Lewis Carroll)

Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

From Through the Looking-Glass

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—better known as Lewis Carroll—had a tremendous knack for inserting truth into nonsensical phrases. Apparently, it was a skill he picked up by accident. Descended from a long line of Anglican clergymen, Dodgson initially prepared for the priesthood but also honed a natural ability in mathematics. He attended Christ Church College at Oxford and did well enough to win the college’s Mathematical Lectureship—a position he held for 26 years. Though he held great promise as a mathematician, it was a career that never particularly interested him. He didn’t find much satisfaction in the Church either and so didn’t advance beyond the deaconate. Instead, he found his greatest satisfaction telling stories in the company of children. In fact, it was the enthusiastic response of some young listeners to one of his stories that led to the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The story became so popular that he followed it with a sequel, Through the Looking-Glass (which includes Jabberwocky) and later, The Hunting of the Snark. Each of these works belongs to a literary genre called, “nonsense.” Nonsense literature mixes up words and themes in ways that are contradictory, illogical or simply absurd. It’s not gibberish— there’s always some sense in nonsense. It succeeds as a literary form because it engages the human instinct to seek context and meaning even where none exists. Take, for example, Dodgson’s observation that, “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.” The statement simultaneously appears both profound and foolish. We struggle to make sense of it because it seems as though it should make sense.

We’re all exposed to our fair share of nonsense in the workplace and end up believing a lot of impossible things as a result. Many of those impossible things come in the form of rumors. We collect stray bits of information and weave them into compelling narratives that usually turn out to be false. While rumors can be compelling, they are actually the least of our workplace problems. The real difficulty is that a lot of the impossible things we believe reflect assumptions about how we do our work. These assumptions spring from many sources. They might reflect how things have always been done, or what the culture of the organization dictates or whatever new management trend happens to be in vogue. Once established, they shape our decision-making and color our judgments. This is one of the reasons we tend to resist change. If we assume that what we’re doing is “right,” we don’t have much incentive to behave differently. What we need every now and then is a fresh perspective. We need someone—an outsider—to give us a candid assessment of what we consider routine. Fortunately, we get these kinds of opportunities on a regular basis. It might be as simple as a friend or colleague expressing surprise at something we do or say. Organizationally, it might be the arrival of a newcomer who’s able to spot the things that just don’t make sense about our processes or policies. The challenge is not to discount these perspectives and respond defensively. When we do, it becomes a lost opportunity and one we shouldn’t relinquish lightly. Taking an outsider’s perspective seriously is one of the best ways of spotting places where our assumptions might be getting in our way. When a credible external source questions what you’re doing, thinking or saying—pay attention. They might just be on to something that will help you out if you take the time to give them an objective hearing. That fresh perspective can help you start making sense out of some of the nonsense you’ve been dealing with. Now that’s something possible to believe in!

—Ebert