‘On December 22, 1984, the saturday before Christmas, Bernhard Goetz left his apartment on Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and walked to the IRT subway station at 14th street and 7th avenue... At the station he boarded the number 2 downtown express train and sat down next to 4 young black teenagers... Canty, and another one of the teenagers, Barry Allen, walked up to Goetz and asked him for $5. “What do you want?” Goetz asked. “Give me $5,” Canty repeated... Goetz reached into his pocket and pulled out a chrome-plated five-shot Smith and Wesson .38, firing at each of the 4 youths in turn. As the 4th member of the crew, Darrel Cabey, lay screaming on the ground, Goetz walked over to him and said, “You seem all right. Here’s another” before firing a 5th bullet into Cabey’s spinal cord and paralysing him for life. (Malcom Gladwell - The Tipping Point)
The story continues, ‘On the radio call-in shows and in the streets, he was treated as a hero...’
Wow - wasn’t a hero in my mind when I read that. So what was going on?
The Goetz case was during a very dark period in New York. Crime had reached epidemic proportions. During the 80’s New York averaged well over 2000 murders and 600 000 serious felonies a year. The underground system was described as ‘chaotic’. Goetz would have waited on a dimly lit platform. He would have been aware of the high crime situation. There was heavy graffiti on the walls, the floors littered with trash. Frequent fires meant trains were delayed. ‘Red Tape’ areas meant travel was slow. There were 15000 felonies on the trains alone per annum which even led to the lowest ridership in the history of the subway station.
What struck me was how all of a sudden my perspective shifted. His act was a result of negative influences repeating themselves day after day. Goetz eventually broke. The result was tragic.
It is critical that we deal regularly with our thoughts and feelings. I am often amazed at the lengthy history behind issues that I work with in teams. Insignificant events often cause significant conflicts, catalysts of harbored emotions never dealt with.
Right now, in our country’s climate, we need to talk. Right now, in our organisation’s climate, we need to talk. No matter what the climate, dialogue is critical! The most significant gift we can give each other is honesty and objective discussion.
Carly Fiorina, ex CEO of HP, speaks about dealing with change and crisis in organisations. She says if you think you have communicated enough with your teams during these times, you need to communicate 10x more than what you’ve done!
Goetz is no different to us. He acted off a platform off frustration. We are not exempt from that place.
My challenge might be yours. Where (family, organisation, social circles etc) do I need to increase dialogue?
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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com