To Boil or Not Boil- The Boiling Frog Parable and Teams

We have all heard the parable of the boiling frog right? The story has been retold many times over and is supposedly based on a scientific study- a study that I do not intend to every replicate. The story goes that if you place a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out and save itself. But… if the frog is placed into a pot of relatively cool water the frog will happily swim around. As the water is slowly heated the frog continues to ignore the slow changing temperature and as it does not perceive the danger doesn’t try to jump out. And eventually when the water reaches the boiling point it is too late and the frog is boiled alive.

So does this story have a relevance for us as leaders and if so what? Could it be a relevant lesson about change and how we react to it when it is both immediate versus when it is gradual? Does it illustrate well how we need to be watchful of not only the most imminent and immediate changes in our work or business environment but also careful to watch those slowly changing trends and to pay attention not just to obvious threats but also to more slowly developing ones. For example – what if every year the local lake levels went down an inch? Maybe we would notice that, maybe the discussion about global warming would “heat up” a bit. But more likely we would suddenly take notice when the lake was close to dry. What about those slowly changing trends in the business world we operate? There are those that might argue that the Big 3 automakers waited too long in the slowly boiling water (e.g., decreasing sales numbers, marketplace discussions about needing alternative energy driven vehicles, etc.) before realizing the impacts of their complacency.

Now there are those who would debunk this parable with scientific research. In a 1995 Fast company article about this parable (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/01/frog.html) they put the story to a test and found in each case as the water got even a little water the very squirmy frogs leaped out. A quote n the story from a Professor Doug Melton, Harvard University Biology Department, says, "If you put a frog in boiling water, it won't jump out. It will die. If you put it in cold water, it will jump before it gets hot -- they don't sit still for you."

So there you go – another quagmire of sorts. As a leader of teams how well do you know how your team will react to changes in the work environment? How well prepared are they to “leap” out of danger or towards a new situation or innovation? How about ourselves? Do we react to the sudden emergencies and changes while ignoring the subtle changes around us? How about during the good times – do we choose to purposely ignore what might be happening as bask in the cool waters?

Teams can be a great thermometer for us as leaders. They provide a broader, diverse perspective. But are we listening to them? Are we using the amazing diversity in thinking inherent in teams for solving problems and looking for innovative ideas? Or are we so focused on just getting things done that we have become complacent as we and our teams are slowly warming up to the boiling point? Keeping the balance for our teams between steady-as-we-go operations, ever vigilant observation and the “JUMP!” mode is tricky! What do you think? How do you set the pace and vision for your teams?

As always… let’s keep the conversation going!