I had the opportunity to visit the Australian Museum recently to see the 'Trailblazers: Australia's 50 Greatest Explorers' exhibition. What stood out
for me was that every explorer profiled faced conditions and obstacles that were 'hard' and could have given up at any point. However, what defines these extraordinary explorers is that even in the face of difficulty they were driven to continue. The concept of Plan B wasn't an option. They set out with a Plan A mindset and their singlemindedness kept their focus squarely on their mission.
What was also startling was the number of explorers that started in their teens, the youngest being 12 years old. It's pretty natural when you think about it. The teenage years represent a time of rebellion and testing limits. What makes the teenage explorers unique is that they were supported by their family to explore their passion. Traditionally, what we tend to do to teenagers is crush their spirit so we can control them. This is similar to what large organisations do to their people, whether they make this a known objective or not - mostly not. It's no wonder that a rising entrepreneurial culture is growing as people leave 'safe' employment for another type of life. In reality, how can you be safe in an organisation if your spirit is crushed? It's a high price to pay. Teenagers don't like being micro-managed and neither do people in the workforce enjoy working within a dictatorial system.
The following quote appears at the end of the exhibition and serves as a reminder that explorers do what they do because they are prepared to embrace change. In fact, they court it to be able to make a breakthrough.
"Today there remain but a few small areas on the world's map unmarked by explorers' trials. Human courage and endurance have conquered the poles; the secrets of the tropical jungles have been revealed. The highest mountains of the earth have heard the voice of man. But this does not mean that the youth of the future has no new worlds to vanquish. It means only that the explorer must change his methods." - Roy Chapman Andrews, Explorer and Naturalist
Consider these questions:
- Are you operating like an explorer in your business?
- Do have a Plan B escape route when Plan A gets too hard? Or is Plan A your main game?
- Do you know what drives you to keep going?
- What's your tolerance for risk? Is it helping or hindering your efforts?
