The Castle in the Fishtank

A recent trip to Stockholm to attend the first Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Summit, the incredible Phoebe Tickell, CEO of Moral Imaginations introduced us to a quotation, and a metaphor of a fish tank that really came alive for me:

“If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea”.

As someone who spent many years working at sea, as well as diving in it, this quotation (which is attributed to French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) suggested a different aspect of individual and organisational growth.

Some time ago, we wanted to set up a small a small aquarium at home. Over the years, I’ve been privileged to be able to dive in top locations around the world and I had a mental picture of coral reefs teaming with brightly coloured fish and mysterious wreckage poking out of the sand. Consulting a friend, who is a marine biologist and aquarist, it became very clear that the reality of what I could achieve would be very different to my experiences of diving in, and sailing on, the “vast and endless sea”.

What I would be creating was an artificial, controlled and limiting environment that would need to be meticulously maintained in order to keep it functioning well and looking good. The type of lighting, water, filter, plants and food all had to be regulated to achieve a balanced ecosystem where little changed, but the fish would be comfortable. My biggest surprise was that my ‘teeming with fish’ vision was a nonsense, as the size of the tank limits the number of fish that can successfully inhabit the space. There were also limitations on what types of fish I could introduce to this environment as in a restricted space, some species simply won’t get on with each other.

Subsequently, we did go ahead and buy a small aquarium, adding the ubiquitous archaeological ruin and plastic plants, although to date we haven’t succumbed to the treasure chest that exudes bubbles. The few fish in the tank appear to be content. The cat is fascinated.

So What…?

So what’s the connection with individual and organisational ‘growth’?

In the aquarium, life is maintained. Little changes. The fish have an occasional disagreement, usually squabbling over a flake of food, but in general, life goes on. The fish are (as far as we can tell) satisfied with their lot and the fish tank looks pretty. It’s satisfying, fulfils a function, but it doesn’t actually do very much. There is no need for anything to change.

Meanwhile, outside of the fish tank, the occurrence and magnitude of complexity, complexity and ambiguity are increasing at an astonishing rate.

Now what?

Thinking about the IDG's.....

IDG Goal 1 is ‘being’. It challenges us to examine our relationship to ourselves. Do you live your life in a fish tank, maintaining the status quo and collecting artefacts that are little more than window-dressing? (Artefacts could be yet another meeting, more technology, new office furniture, training courses, qualifications or consultancy). Are you fully present in the wider world?

IDG Goal 2 is ‘thinking’: Inside of the fish tank, life is simple, and we can exist quite nicely by following routines. Complexity exists outside of the fish tank. How do you acknowledge and make sense of complexity? Can you imagine life outside of the fish tank? How do you make sense of the wider world?

IDG Goal 3 is ‘relating’: the world exists way beyond the confines of the fish tank. In what ways are you connected to this? You depend on the outside world for heat, light, food, yet what appreciation do you have of this vulnerability? Do you demonstrate empathy and compassion for the world that supports you, or do you simply wait to be fed?

IDG Goal 4 is ‘collaborating’: what might you achieve if you could escape the confines of the fish tank? How might you begin to communicate with world outside of your safe environment? How could you begin to build cultural literacies that enable you to at least appreciate the needs and viewpoints of others?

IDG Goal 5 is ‘action’. Perhaps the scariest goal of all and may be ignored or avoided by those who are comfortable debating Goals 1-4. Just as in the film ‘Finding Nemo’ it takes courage, creativity, optimism and perseverance to escape the constraints of the fish tank. DO you have these attributes?

How many individuals or organisations do you know who are stuck in a fish tank? Perhaps they have created it themselves, or perhaps they have been introduced to someone else’s. It was fun at first, but once you’ve seen one faux castle or plastic plant, you’ve seen them all. The wonderment decreases. Torpor sets in.

Then what?

How can we challenge such situations? As Saint-Exupéry suggests, “Teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea”.

Lead people gently and with great humility and kindness to the limits of their known world and let them become inspired with visions of hope for tomorrow. Explore and learn together.

For individuals, be curious: swim to the limits of your domain and peer through whatever barrier you experience to see what’s happening outside of the boundaries that you currently live with.

If you’re a leader in an organisation, stop investing in artefacts. Begin to inspire minds, starting with your own.

(c) Chris Jackson 2023