Getting the cow off the ice is a typical German idiom, most likely handed down from free-range cattle farming. As opposed to horses, cows do not possess a flight instinct in threatening situations. When a cow senses danger, she simply stays put and is more or less rooted to the spot. So, let’s say a cow wanders onto a frozen lake in winter. Noticing too late that the surface is dangerously slick, she will not attempt to flee. She’s stuck there, unable to move. Now, since a cow is a very heavy animal – up to ten times heavier than your average adult – there is a high risk the ice will crack and break and the cow will drown. A devastating loss for the farmer, not to mention for the cow. Ergo, the cow must be gotten off the ice as quickly as possible and since she can’t on her own, the farmer must also get on the ice and lead her off the lake. So getting the cow off the ice is a metaphor for having to solve a precarious problem or overcome a thorny situation.
One of our clients here in our East Westphalian homeland expanded the idiom to include a decisive factor: “We have to get the cow off the ice. It’s the only way we can milk her again.”
This gave us the idea for our first animated film starring four farmers – Johann, Willy, Jonathan and Pete – who all have farms bordering the lake and each has a white cow with a brown spot on her forehead. One fine winter morning, Farmer Johann steps out the door only to espy in the distance a cow standing on the frozen lake. The other three farmers also come out to greet the day and also notice the cow on the frozen lake. But, instead of acting immediately to get the cow off the ice as quickly as possible, a discussion breaks out concerning whose cow it is standing there on the lake’s icy surface.
Since the four cows owned by the four farmers are sisters and look pretty much identical, the farmers go to their respective barns to see if their cow is still inside. Farmer Johann’s stall is empty, so it must be his Elsa on the ice. Useless knowledge that contributes absolutely nothing to rescuing the cow from her life-threatening situation. And what are the other farmers doing? Building fences to keep their cows from ever wandering onto the ice. Farmer Johann is baffled. Why don’t they help him? Their cows are in their stalls, safe and sound. To make matter even worse, the sun is shining and when it continues to shine, the ice will melt and Elsa will drown.
Willy, Jonathan and Pete promise to help him once they’ve finished building the fences, they have to take care of their own cows first. Farmer Johann stands around with his teeth in his mouth, making no effort to get the cow on his own or to seek help elsewhere. Since the cow on the ice doesn’t respond to his calling – something Elsa never did anyway – Farmer Johann is able to convince the other farmers that it’s not necessarily Elsa on the ice. Maybe Elsa wandered off in another direction, thereby ignoring that fact that all other cows in the area were brown. But the cow on the ice is white and has a brown spot on her forehead. It can only be Elsa.
Now that the fences are finished, the four farmers set off to seek Els elsewhere. “And if we can’t find her, the cow on the ice may very well be Elsa,” Farmer Johann allowed. Yet the cow on the ice can wait a bit longer because the farmers now have a plan. All efforts must be made to find out if Elsa could be somewhere else after all. Only time will tell if it’s a sensible plan and how much longer until the ice breaks and the cow on the frozen lake sinks into the freezing depths.
When we show the film in our training programs or seminars, participants recognize behavior patterns in their company or department. They are sometimes a bit shocked to discover the mechanisms driving such behavior depicted in a relatively simple animated short. “That’s exactly how it goes in our team, too,” attendees say. “Instead of tackling the problem head on; instead of seeking a solution together, an incredible amount of time is wasted finding out who is to blame. Which doesn’t solve anything.”
It’s true. The moment something doesn’t go as planned – a project is running past the deadline, a budget is overdrawn, a program glitch turns up or something as idiotic as the dishwasher in the tea kitchen hasn’t been emptied – lines are drawn, bets are wagered and the Blame Game begins. The only way players can win is by deftly deflecting the blame from themselves, pointing fingers at colleagues, coworkers or the boss. While the problem patiently awaits a solution, the Blame Game goes on until everyone involved knows they, at least are not to blame and can smugly proclaim: “It wasn’t me!“
Everyone scurries to save their own butt and the core issue at hand is completely ignored. Exactly as the film depicts: Instead of joining forces to get the cow off the ice, the farmers first run to find out just whose cow it is and then go on to do anything else except deal with the acute need to get the damn cow off the ice! Now don’t get us wrong, once a change or transition in your company or team has been carried through, for example, we firmly believe that a lessons learned process should take place, allowing everyone involved to contribute to and grasp what went well and what was less optimal during the transition. This is really the only way to learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future. If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake (Confucius).
Laying blame is toxic for any continued cooperation, so it must be left out of the lessons learned process completely. If you or your colleagues are afraid of making mistakes, anxious that your coworkers or superiors will point a judgmental finger at you, you will definitely avoid making independent decisions, now or in the future. But no decisions means stagnation, which sooner or later threatens your company’s continued existence. If the cow is still standing on the ice, or has already broken through and drowned, how are you going to milk her? Your income from that corner are buried at the bottom of the lake.
No matter which challenge or hurdle blocks your path – the cow must get off the ice. You have no choice. Building fences, ignoring the problem or running away from it only makes things worse. Th e problem will boomerang, coming back again and again, gaining intensity each time until you finally confront it, solve it or get so boxed in by it that nothing can be salvaged. If you can’t go it alone because you’re afraid of cows or don’t know how to handle them or maybe even have a cow allergy, then get help! Asking for help, be it in house of external, proves your strength and willingness to confront problems and challenges. Go for it!
An excerpt from the book “Leadership is More – 27 Questions We Too Can Answer” written by Gianni, Jan & Marcello Liscia, 2022
