In the 1980s, I worked in what was then called the Data Processing department of a large property and casualty insurance company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the US. Today, the department I worked in would likely be called the Information Technology (IT) Department. I worked there for several years as a programmer, systems analyst, and team leader. During that time, I met many bright, interesting, creative people. I am currently reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While reading it, I am reminded of one of the men I used to work with, one of my favorites. His name was Dwight Carter.
I liked Dwight for many reasons but for two reasons especially. The first one was his personality. The work he and I did was high-pressure. People often succumbed to the stress and became angry, rude, or arrogant. Early one morning, I saw a man repeatedly punching his computer terminal. The problem? The night crew had not run a program he had requested. But Dwight was not like that. I never saw him angry, flustered, or rude all the time I worked with him. He was always calm, polite, a gentleman, a diligent and persistent professional. I appreciated and envied that.
The second reason I was drawn to Dwight was his problem-solving approach. Over the years, he had garnered a lot of experience solving problems and recognized similarities among many of the problems he solved. The details would differ, but similar issues often suggested comparable solutions. He wrote these general rules down. He referred to them as his yellow brick road, an obvious allusion to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When tackling a problem, Dwight always looked for the yellow brick road. Thus, I thought of him while reading Baum’s classic story.
Let’s use a situation in the book as an example. We’ll start with a question. Have you ever been lost? If you have, how did you resolve the situation if, indeed, you did resolve it? Before you answer these questions, it would be reasonable for you to ask me what I mean by lost, for the word has multiple meanings. For present purposes, let’s focus only on the core definition of “lost,” namely, not knowing one’s location. But even with this core idea in mind, you might still ask if I am referring to a physical, mental, or spiritual location. Fair enough, let’s examine the state of being physically lost without a yellow brick road.
In “Chapter XIV: The Winged Monkeys” of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her traveling companions get lost (our keyword) while attempting to return to the Emerald City after destroying the Wicked Witch of the West. Their problem originated in how they initially located the Wicked Witch. At least part of resolving a situation where one is lost is knowing how one got there in the first place.
When leaving the Emerald City to find the Witch, Dorothy asked the Guardian of the Gates which road would take them to the Wicked Witch of the West. He told her there was no road because no one wanted to go there. So Dorothy asked him a pragmatic question: How were she and her companions supposed to find the Witch, a preliminary task for them if they were to accomplish the mission the Wizard gave them? The Guard’s simplistic response was, “Keep to the West, where the sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her.”
They started walking west. But, as it turned out, they did not have to locate the Witch; she found them. As soon as she became aware of their entering her territory, and after failing several times to eliminate them, she finally sent Winged Monkeys. They destroy the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman and bring Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion to her. None of the four travelers located the Witch; she found them.
So, after accomplishing their mission, all they knew about getting back was that they had walked west from the Emerald City to find the Witch and thus reasonably concluded, there still being no road, that to return to the Emerald City, they would need to walk east. That’s what they did. And it almost ended in disaster. The problem they experienced was linked to the solution they implemented to find the Emerald City – walk east, not so much in their plan itself, but with what seemed like a logical assumption: they would always know which way was east. Let’s look at Baum’s description of what happened:
They knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward the rising sun; and they started off in the right way. But at noon, when the sun was over their heads, they did not know which was east and which was west, and that was the reason they were lost in the great fields. They kept on walking, however,…The next morning the sun was behind a cloud, but they started on, as if they were quite sure which way they were going.
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Illustrated): The 1900 Classic Edition with Original Illustrations (p. 164). Sky Publishing. Kindle Edition.
The travelers had not considered what to do if the east could not be determined. They assumed they would always be able to find it. They had no apparent alternative. But instead of stopping and doing some thinking, “they started on, as if they were quite sure which way they were going.” Not good! At this point, Dorothy utters the following profound statement: “If we walk far enough,” said Dorothy, “I am sure we shall sometime come to some place.” (ibid). The statement is obviously true; it’s just not helpful. I can’t tell you how often I have uttered such profundities when lost. These kinds of statements do not qualify as “brainstorming.”
Dorothy loses heart, as do all her companions. They sit down on the grass, stumped, defeated. Then Dorothy remembers something earlier: field mice’s assistance and their Queen’s promise that Dorothy should call on them whenever she needed them. She does call on them. They respond, and they provide the needed help. The Queen of the Mice tells Dorothy of a charm to which she (Dorothy) has access but isn’t aware. It is a kind of deus ex machina, in this case, access to Winged Monkeys, who will carry the travelers to the Emerald City.
There is one additional point the Queen of the Mice makes to which I want to draw attention. You remember, even though the travelers weren’t sure which way was east, they kept walking. The Queen tells them that the Emerald City is a great way off, “for you have had it at your backs all this time.” In other words, not knowing which way they were going, they inadvertently traveled west, further away from where they wanted to go.
Problems differ. There is no one-size-fits-all. So, what, if anything, can we take away from examining Dorothy’s problem and solution when lost?
- You may not have brought yourself to where you are, which can hinder your ability to easily leave and get where you want to go. For example, if there was a road, maybe you didn’t walk it. Neither did you pick your parents, genetics, or many other things.
- Sometimes, given the circumstances, you may be able to formulate only a very general solution like “head east.” And while that may get you started, ultimately, it leans too much on luck. At some point, you must continue to flesh out your plan.
- What is your backup plan, the alternative to the one you’re using? Dorothy didn’t have one. She didn’t know what to do when she couldn’t tell which way was east.
- Stop moving if you don’t know which way is east. To continue may push you away from your destination rather than towards it, as it did in Dorothy’s case. I am aware that some situations may not allow you to stop moving. Move slower.
- A final point is one that Dorothy couldn’t know. Don’t count on a deus ex machina. They exist but are extremely rare. On the other hand, if you know a Dwight, they can be incredibly helpful.
If you have the time and get the chance, I recommend reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, especially if your job requires solving problems. If you feel a little uncomfortable that you might be caught reading it, tell whoever “catches” you that you are thinking about reading it to your grandchild and are just checking it out.
All the best,
Gershon
Gershon Ben-Avraham 