Today, a managing director of a medium-sized company took this picture out of my hand and said:
“I need to show this to my employees.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Because when we turn on the news, we hear about the divide almost every day.
Skilled labor shortages.
High energy costs.
Uncertainty.
A weak economy.
Export challenges.
And the longer we talk about it, the wider that divide seems to become.
But there is something we tend to forget.
The divide itself is rarely the real problem.
The crucial question is:
Are we still looking for bridges?
Two Completely Different Mindsets
In companies, I repeatedly observe two completely different ways of thinking.
Some people focus almost exclusively on what isn’t working.
Others eventually ask a different question:
“What can we still do?”
For me, that is where leadership begins.
Not by downplaying problems.
But by putting people in a state of mind where they can recognize solutions again.
Because if you constantly stare at the divide, sooner or later you stop seeing the possibilities for overcoming it.
This Mindset Is Contagious
The dangerous thing is:
This mindset is contagious.
When a critical mass is reached within a team where conversations revolve mainly around difficulties, the very people who were once full of ideas often get pulled down as well.
Not because they have suddenly become less capable.
But because states of mind are contagious.
From Problems to Solutions
A few years ago, a department head said something to me that I have never forgotten:
“My door is open to everyone and every problem – but only if the person has already thought about possible solutions.”
Another executive told me about a fixed process he uses in his meetings.
First, the problem is described.
Then the solution round begins.
And once that starts, the problem is no longer discussed.
From that moment on, all the energy belongs to the possibilities.
“Time for Crazy Ideas.”
When I was at a company in the United States, we took it one step further.
They regularly held a session called:
“Time for Crazy Ideas.”
During this time, no one was allowed to criticize.
No judgment.
No “That will never work anyway.”
Every idea was welcomed and developed further by the others.
Because innovation rarely happens where people are afraid of embarrassing themselves.
It happens where people feel safe.
What Companies Can Learn from Competitive Sports
We see the same thing in competitive sports.
At kilometer 35, a marathon runner does not think about how much more pain might be ahead.
Instead, they bring the feeling of crossing the finish line into the race itself.
The cheers.
The relief.
The pride.
That image gives them the energy they need for the final kilometers.
Why do we do this so rarely in companies?
Goals That Inspire People
Many corporate goals today sound something like this:
- Increase revenue.
- Improve profitability.
- Reduce costs.
- Become more efficient.
All important goals.
But they hardly inspire anyone.
People don’t get up in the morning to become two percent more efficient.
They want to be part of something they can be proud of together.
Maybe the real goal isn’t higher profitability.
Maybe the real goal is to successfully complete a project as a team, grow together, and then go out for ice cream together afterward.
Sounds small?
Maybe.
But these are exactly the kinds of moments that create a sense of belonging.
And belonging creates motivation.
We Can Build Bridges
The mouse in the picture cannot cross the divide.
It cannot build a bridge.
We can.
Not just out of wood or steel.
But out of trust.
Out of listening.
Out of collaboration.
And out of language that helps us look forward again.
Perhaps that is exactly why companies need fewer people who keep describing ever-wider divides.
And more people who start building bridges.
Because growth rarely begins where we talk about crises.
It begins where we find the courage to look for possibilities together again.
