Hunting Bears
Originally posted at: chenmark.com/weeklythoughts
We were recently chatting with a good friend about a difficult interpersonal situation. When talking through possible ways to address the problem, we (somewhat embarrassingly) shared that in these situations, our go-to framework comes not from a fancy management book but rather from the classic 1989 children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
For those unfamiliar, in the book, a family of five (and their dog) goes out to hunt a bear. On their journey, the family faces many obstacles including “long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a big dark forest, and a swirling whirling snowstorm.” While going through each obstacle, the children chant the following refrain:
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
We’d like to think we are nice people. One unfortunate aspect of being “nice” is that difficult conversations don’t come naturally. Sometimes we avoid conflict because, well, it’s unpleasant, and we don’t like being the “bad guy”.
Unfortunately, progress in the world of SMB depends on our ability to handle difficult situations. So in those moments we remind ourselves that in the face of an obstacle, the reality is we can’t go over it. We also can’t go under it. Most of the time the best way to address a problem is to go straight through it, deal with the consequences, and keep making progress towards our goal. So, I guess we’re going on a bear hunt.
Have a great week,
Your Chenmark Team
Principal at Green Stride, Director at Barnett Software, Operating Partner at Wellness Fi
6moWell-written, as always! It's reassuring to know that the things we were read as kids, and the things we've read to our kids still apply to our adult lives. Fundamentals, kindness, and hard work win the day, again!
Collaborative Business Advisor dedicated to helping organizations thrive through Growth, Strategy Simplified, and Organizational Health. Founder at Gallant Business Development, and Start Right Basketball.
6moI love that you chose the Bear Hunt over the fancy management book (Read it, not a fan). People can quickly relate and remember these types of examples of how we behave as an organization, even if they are somewhat embarrassing. I'll take effective and fun, over confusing or over complicated. PS Thanks for reminder of this book, I'll be looking for it at the library for my youngest.