A sleeping giant within our organization
Just north of the Danish city of Copenhagen is the castle Kronborg.
The legendary sleeping giant of Denmark, the national hero Holger Danske is asleep, deep down in the underground passages of the castle’s casemates.
He has slept for hundreds of years. According to an old legend, Holger sleeps quietly while the country is at peace but will wake up the day Denmark is threatened by enemies.
Whole classes of Danish school children talks in whispers because nobody is too eager to see this giant in action, but they are happy he is on his side.
Metaphor with your organization
There may be a sleeping giant inside your own organization, ready to awaken when it is in danger.
It is in danger if there is too much entropy, too little common sense. The giant represent the body of your co-workers and subordinates, rational men and women whose patience is nearly exhausted.
What employees are looking for in the first place is no longer money, but a job in which they can do their best, with a challenge that is well suited to their skill level, in a company where they can grow and succeed, in an organization with a positive spirit, with a good boss and a group of high-level colleagues. Can we contribute to this vision ?
Waking Up the giant
It doesn’t take too much to wake up Holger. If the silliness is gross enough, people need no more than a gentle catalyst. I may be one small voice saying: “This is unacceptable”. People know it’s true. Once it’s been said out loud, they can’t ignore it any longer. That may seem idealistic, but if you do wake up a sleeping giant in your company, you won’t be the first. Sometimes is time to start corrective actions. Sociology, in some cases, matters more that technology or eve money. It’s supposed to be productive, satisfying to work. If it isn’t then there’s nothing else than worth concentrating on. Choose your terrain carefully, assemble your facts, and speak up. You can make a difference … with a little help from Holger Danske.
Book suggestion on this topic:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67825.Peopleware
Image of the giant from:
https://www.freepik.com/vectors/hand