Leading with…Visual Metaphors.
Why Metaphors?
I was recently watching a TV news interview in which they were discussing global warming. One of the scientists commented that the melting of the polar ice caps was “a canary in the coal mine” and that we will potentially experience a “domino effect” as sea levels continue to rise, adding that we face an environmental crisis of “Titanic proportions.”
While the use of three different metaphors within sixty seconds may not be a world record, it does serve to illustrate how often metaphors are used as part of normal, daily conversation—typically, without our even realizing it. So this one example was just, yes…the tip of the iceberg.
For example, take a look at the titles of various blog posts. I think you’ll find that a majority of them incorporate the use of metaphors, not only as a creative attention-getting device but as an effective and memorable way of communicating the post’s central idea.
The same goes for many books. In case you were wondering, the bestselling management book Who Moved My Cheese has absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with a search for missing dairy products. Nor does the classic Harvard Business Review article, “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?” have anything to do with locating a missing primate.
If I were to tell you that this book covering visual thinking and visual communication is rooted in the idea that thinking in pictures will help you to be a more effective leader, that I wanted to plant this seed in your mind by providing you with numerous examples as illustration, and that if you branched out into this area, I would be willing to go out on a limb and bet that if you start incorporating visual imagery, models, metaphors, and stories into your repertoire it will immediately bear fruit…I think the power of metaphor, in leadership and in life, even if you have never really thought about it before, will become immediately apparent.
What, exactly, is a metaphor…and what is a metaphor for? In the most simple and basic terms, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which we use one thing (typically unrelated) to explain something else. For example, if I were to say, “My luve is like a red, red rose/That’s newly sprung in June…” (quoting the classic poem by Robert Burns—and, yes, that’s how he spelled “love” way back then), I am taking an abstract concept (new love) and using a familiar physical object to visually illustrate and explain what it’s like. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to picture in one’s mind an intangible concept such as love; but one can easily envision the comparable beauty and newness of a just-bloomed “red, red rose.” So, whether you send someone a poem, or text them a red heart icon, your metaphorical message should, hopefully, come through loud and clear.
Similarly, if I were to verbally tell you a story that begins with the words, “It was a dark and stormy night,” that auditory description will get translated in your “mind’s eye” into a visual image that you can see, feel, and experience. That’s the power not only of visual thinking but of visual communication. We use visual language to transfer ideas and images from our head into someone else’s so that they can “see” what we’re saying.
And why use metaphors instead of just describing something literally? Because a good metaphor serves to make the unfamiliar familiar, the intangible tangible, the abstract concrete, the complex simple, the confusing clear, and the invisible visible. Which is why metaphor is one of the most powerful visual thinking and visual communication methods available. And metaphor is not just within the purview of poets and songwriters, but of all of us. They are all around, hiding in plain sight.
For example, if you think about it, when we talk about…
backing up our data to “the cloud”…it’s not literally stored up in the sky;
using a computer “mouse”…it’s shaped like one, but is not, actually, a rodent;
saving a “folder” or a “file” to your “desktop”…you are using neither a real file or folder, nor the top of an actual desk;
“cutting and pasting”…there are no scissors or glue involved;
your computer having a “virus”…it may be “infected,” but it is not, literally, sick with disease;
opening a new “window” on your computer…will not, actually, let in any fresh air.
This list goes on and on and on…and these are just a few computer-related metaphors that we commonly hear and use so often that we don’t even realize they’re metaphors. What others can you think of? For example, when we talk about “white-collar” and “blue-collar” jobs, that’s a metaphor. When we talk about work/life “balance” (as in a scale), job “burnout” (as in a candle), or receiving a “pink slip” when getting laid off (are those actually even used anymore?), those are all metaphors. And every CEO in America talks about their company’s “secret sauce”—the magical ingredient that differentiates them from the competition. But unless you’re McDonald’s and you’re talking about a Big Mac, it’s a metaphor.
And the next time you look at your smartphone, take a close look and see how many apps and icons are visual metaphors! Just for a few examples: the camera, the calculator, the compass, the notepad, the old-fashioned telephone receiver…and email (do you need to put a stamp on that little “envelope”?) When it comes to social media, as far as I know, there is no actual “book” at Facebook, Twitter does not involve actual birds, and YouTube does not involve any actual “tubes.”
Speaking of “windows,” by the way: Many years ago, when I was interviewing for my job at Liquidnet (I’ll talk more about that later), I met with their consultant extraordinaire, Angelo Valenti. Part of our conversation went like this:
Angelo: “I have a question for you: Do you do windows?”
Me: “You mean, like, Microsoft Windows?”
Angelo: “No. I mean do you “do windows”? [pause] “As in, when needed, are you willing to roll up your sleeves and get out the Windex and paper towels?”
Me: “So…you are, literally, talking about actual windows?”
Angelo: “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”
While he was, literally, asking me if I was willing to do manual tasks if necessary, he was also, metaphorically, inquiring as to whether I was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. His creative and memorable use of metaphor in this situation had tremendous impact on me, and still resonates all these years later. Think about it: What is the equivalent of “doing windows” in your line of work?
When using metaphors, it’s important to keep in mind that while a familiar one will serve to clarify, an unfamiliar one will result in the exact opposite effect by confusing and, potentially, alienating your audience. If you know baseball and I comment that your presentation was a “home run” or a “grand slam,” you’ll understand it’s a huge compliment. If you don’t know baseball, however, you may not know if I’m praising or criticizing you.
For instance, in one of my NYU classes, I used the expression, “sounding like a broken record.” If you’re a Baby Boomer who grew up knowing what it sounds like to have a phonograph needle stuck in the groove of a scratched record album, you will immediately understand the reference. However, if you were a millennial student who never personally had to endure that extremely annoying life experience, you might interpret this expression the exact opposite way—as this particular student did—and assume that my reference was a positive one, related to “breaking an Olympic record”…and, perhaps, even, the winning of a gold medal for it.
I guess I could call this an example of a “Metaphor Fail.” But it was a valuable lesson…and, as my wife always reminds me, I should remember to focus on “the donut”…and not “the hole.”
In summary, we tend to process and understand new information relative to what we already know and understand, as well as where and how this new information fits into our “mental map.”
So when using a metaphor or an analogy to explain a concept by saying to someone, “It’s kind of like this…” you are helping them to “connect the dots”—and helping people to connect the dots is one of the most valuable things a leader can do. For, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “A wonderful harmony arises when we join together the seemingly unconnected.”
Tying this all back to visual thinking and visual communication, the use of metaphor and analogy can not only help us to clarify understanding and get our idea across, but also mentally transport us to another time and place. The poet William Wordsworth wrote about the concept of “emotion recollected in tranquility,” or our ability to reexperience something simply by reflecting on it in our mind’s eye. One of the classic and most powerful examples and illustrations of this principle can be found in the closing stanza of his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (in this case, an actual cloud; not the “server” kind):
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Intellectually, we all know that a human heart cannot “fill with pleasure”…as the pleasure center of the body is located in the brain; nor can the human heart literally “dance.” And, yet, if you’ve ever had this, or a similar experience, you know exactly what he is talking about.
In his Poetics, Aristotle wrote: “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar.”
So, from a leadership perspective, whether you are “giving someone a fish,” or “teaching them how to fish,” think about how you can leverage the power of metaphor so that you—and the people you lead—will not only “eat well tonight”…but for the rest of their lives.
With that being said, in this section we’ll explore how “seemingly unconnected” references to black socks, pink spoons, a yellow ball, and more can help you to lead more visually, in work and in life, by leveraging the power of metaphor.