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A good and generous king
Sep 20, 2006
There once was a king who wanted to strengthen his castle, improve the morale of his subjects, increase the crop harvest, and generally strengthen his kingdom. He called in his trusted advisors, all the wise men and magicians in the court, and asked them, "What should I do to make the kingdom stronger?"
One advisor said, "Dress yourself in jeweled robes and address the peasants from your balcony. When your subjects see how regal you look, and hear you say that the kingdom is strong, they will act accordingly."
Another wise man had just returned from a long journey, learning about the ways of many faraway kingdoms. "Build a cathedral," he told the king. "Strong kingdoms all have a beautiful, towering structure at the top of the palace hill. Build a cathedral with the highest spire and everyone will know that you, king, are strong."
A third advisor said, "Ask your subjects. They will tell you how to improve the kingdom."
After considering the wise men's words, the king went to work. First he ordered the design of the finest possible robes, inlaid with the most expensive gems; then he met with the royal architects to begin planning the tallest cathedral in the whole region. Soon after, he began writing the royal decree that he would read to his subjects about all the improvements underway.
It was around this time that the king remembered the words of the third advisor: "Ask your subjects." A reasonable request, the king thought, especially since the subjects were helping to pay for the cathedral. "I'll prove what a good and generous king I am," the king thought. "I will ask the subjects their opinion."
Within a few months the plans were well underway. The royal robes were already draped over the king's shoulders; the decree was written on the finest parchment; and the skeleton of what was to become the cathedral was already taking shape on the palace hill. It was during this time that, one day, the king asked his guards to bring a handful of peasants into the royal hall.
When the peasants were assembled before his throne, the king spoke. "Very soon I will address all of my subjects about many things I am doing to improve our kingdom. Today, being a good and generous king, I will ask you, my chosen few subjects, to give me your opinions."
None of the peasants spoke.
The king said, "I ask all of you, what do you think of my new royal robes? The finest materials, the most precious gems. Do they fill you with awe? Do you find my raiment wonderful? If so, you may bow to me." The peasants bowed.
The king continued, in the same way, asking the peasants their opinion on the the cathedral, the decree, and other matters in the kingdom. The peasants said nothing but continued to bow.
After he finished and the peasants returned to their villages, the king summoned the third advisor. "Thank you, wise man," said the king. "I have asked my subjects, just as you advised, and they are in accord with everything that I have planned. I am truly a good and generous king."
The advisor said nothing but only bowed, turned, and left the castle.
- - -
The story maybe needs a clearer ending, like no-one attended the cathedral services, because their crops withered from the irrigration ditches that were not built, which was what they had needed all along. Or something like that.
And, because usability is too often version 2.0, have the second chapter being the king realizing his mistake, and taking the third advisor to heart.
Then it really would be a fairy tale :-)
What a great story! I feel like the third advisor in many of our meetings, and I definitely see the peasants at our employee gatherings, when the president finishes his state of the company address, and asks if there are any questions or comments.
Typical Council Officials all but the man who came out on top was the third advisor. Why? Because the king got annoyed when his clothes began to wear and fired the man who suggested them. Got annoyed when his Cathredal needed repaired and fired the man who suggested. But he never got annoyed with his people bowing and scraping to him and promoted the man who suggested it. Clever boy that third official, should go far - just hope I never have to work for him.
This isn't a story needing completion. The moral is in the King's egocentric motivation; in his desire to be validated, not his desire to change for the good of his kingdom. The peasants know better than to disagree, and are wise enough to know the decisions have been made already, with their consideration being an afterthought. They are wise enough to know any comment at all is self-destructive. If the King were in fact good and wise, he not only would know what they needed anyway, but wouldn't require his brown-nosing advisors in the first place.
Things haven't changed much have they?
Curtis is absolutely right. I used to work in such an environment. I would even go as far as to say that the king at my former company would have fired any advisor that pointed out how wrong he was as being insubordinate or for "creating a negative environment."
Maybe the king genuinely wants what is best for his kingdom but is deluded and insecure. He doesn't know HOW to listen to his subjects. He doesn't know what to ask. It's easier for him to listen to the two advisors who recommend the trappings of power, and to convince himself (and encourage others to agree) that he is truly a good and generous king. Only if that third advisor taught him how to listen to the subjects--and if the king had enough personal fortitude to do it, which is doubtful--would he be able to significantly improve his country.
yes,"This isn't a story needing completion. ",but i don't agree with what Curtis said later.
Maybe the problem is the way the king solving problems .He has the motivation to change,but did wrongly.The peasants stands a quite different position compared with the first and second man.If the king asked them before the robes and cathedral, using a different manner,everything would be refreshed.
it's a nice story, and there's a moral in there, and you guys only want us to improve our (& our clients) experiences but how / what are we supposed to use this?
Inspite of being 21st centuary homo sapiens sapiens, we still enjoy (and learn from) a story as much as cave dwellers.
Many self-help authors know this, but mostly we ignore it. I have been reading Mark's excelent newsletter for years, but I have rarely been impelled to read (or write!) the feedback.
Great story and great idea to let the reader spell out the obvious moral. I think I'm going to take a break off worrying about users and take a course in creative writting :-))
I hate sad endings, sniff. This is a great example of how focus groups have got a bad reputation. Too many moderators fail to understand how their approach to presenting information and asking questions has a big impact on the results.
To become a king, a person need's to have abilities to become a king. And when he has become a king, he may or may not have the abilities to make his kingdom strong. But that isn't very important. In order to maintain his position as a king, he only needs abilities to maintain his position.
Kingdom plays a secondary role here. It's only a question of luck - whether the king will be well-wishing and smart enough to make it strong.
A competition between different kingdoms could help to select the ones with the smarter kings. Maybe.
In reading this story I am reminded of a recent production of Shakespeare's "Richard III" at the Intiman Theater here in Seattle. The director used our current leadership here in the United States as his jumping off point for interpreting the play. How long will "good men" ignore what they know is bad leadership, repressive policy, and incompetent management before doing something? How long before the consequent misery of action becomes so obvious that it can no longer be met with silence.? So, here, as with our current situation, the king interprets silence as approval when it can actually mean so much more...ambivalence, dismay, dispair, etc. The king relies on external trappings to show wisdom and strength. The king asks the masses to speak with a single voice of support rather than their own many voices of individualism.
We find it also in our communities of usability, information architecture, and design. Gurus assume the vestments of wisdom and speak without challenge to masses from whom silence is assumed as assent. Those who question are dismissed or run off for dissent that is interpreted as disrespect.
In both interpretations, the true question is: who is/are the villian[s]? The king who slyly manipulates circumstances and surroundings or the people who quietly let their world be so manipulated?