Page 154 - Harnessing the Strengths

Dilemma 6: Short Term Versus Long Term ■ 137

“Hare Brain” Versus “Tortoise Mind”

Is the servant-leader a “Speedy Gonzalez” type, rushing
from place to place, or a more thoughtful person who takes
his or her time? In other words, is he or she more about quick

solutions or thoughtful reflection? Or is this the wrong ques-
tion? Of course, the organization is best served by both. Guy
Claxton, author of the bestseller Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind:
Why Intelligence Increases When You Think Less, makes
a fundamental distinction between “hare brain” and “tor-
3
toise mind.” The hare brain is logical, quick, analytic, and
good at mechanistic thinking. As described in the fable, the
tortoise is slower, less focused, receptive, and more playful,
almost a dreamer. The tortoise uses what Claxton calls the
“undermind”—a kind of intuition. The undermind blos-
soms through rest and meditation. When a creative solu-
tion is needed, or if a problem is not yet clearly defi ned, the
tortoise mind, with its thoughtful and meditative qualities,
offers outcomes.
With our hare brains we could quickly come to the con-
clusion that creativity is born in the tortoise mind. Undoubt-
edly, the tortoise mind makes a difference. Refl ect for a
moment: Under which circumstances have your best ideas
appeared? When did they happen? Let’s guess, you were
probably more or less relaxed and certainly not stressed
about needing to come up with a breakthrough solution.
However, you were also not sitting quietly, just waiting for
the ideas to bubble up by themselves. Perhaps it was during
a vacation, or under the shower, or simply in a moment of
relaxation when you last had a number of ideas pop into
your head, about how to tackle that diffi cult project.
So, what characterizes servant-leaders in this regard?
Should they take some distance or energetically throw