By Reese Ramos, Director - University Ombuds

Being Decisive but Not Reckless: The Legend of the Gordian Knot

There’s something about a good story that makes us repeat it and draw lessons from it. Unfortunately, the lessons drawn from a good story aren’t always what the story intended. Such is the case with the Gordian Knot.

If you’re not familiar with the legend of the Gordian Knot it is that many eons back Alexander the Great came across an ox cart that Gordius, king of Phrygia, had tied a seemingly complex knot to its yoke. Legend was that whoever could untie the knot would rule all of Asia. Alexander tried untying it but not finding how to unravel it simply took his sword and cut the knot. Problem solved. And since then, whether or not this ever actually happened, the Gordian Knot has become a metaphor for taking a bold action to a complex problem. Problem is, this blunt approach doesn’t quite work for most problems.

Most people seem to forget that the challenge of untying the knot was tedious, laborious and probably not easy. But just as a stone mason with the right expertise can take a chisel and hammer and split a stone, Alexander the Great, with the right expertise and perhaps some other tools, could have undone that Gordian Knot. But sure, taking a sword and chopping it was easier (and probably fun). But don’t forget, it was just a knot. Tied to a yoke. And if the solution was to undo it, he definitely solved it. But most problems are not knots (see what I did there)?

Most problems, actual complex problems, have interconnected variables and potential solutions. As an example, think of what it would actually take to solve the housing crisis. There are only so many homes for so many people. One solution: just build more homes. But that takes time. Another solution: Build smaller homes. But maybe home buyers need both small and bigger homes. And don’t forget, some folks might not want these new homes near them. Maybe they are happy with the home they already have and don’t want the land around them to be built on. Plus, maybe the price of their home will go down now that there’s competition. Also, more people means more traffic. More density. Maybe even more crime, or at the very least, noise. Maybe we need more infrastructure. More streets, more stores, maybe even more police officers, Oh, and you need resources to build homes. Well, let’s speed up the process then and get those resources ASAP. But, the price of materials go up and down. And you need people that know how to actually build a home. These are just some of the interconnected variables that illustrate how some problems are not linear. Not easy. Truly complex.

I see this similarly happen in teams and groups in the workplace. Problems come up and instead of decision makers methodically taking steps to define the problem(s), discuss in details the issues, explore solutions and eventually take action  (for a bit more detailed steps of this framework I call “IDEA” check out our resource here)  they skip all those steps and take out the metaphorical sword and cut the knot and implement a solution that most likely will generate even greater problems.

So, what’s the real wisdom in the story of the Gordian Knot? I think it is simply to be creative and take bold action where negative consequences are low and the upsides high. After all, for Alexander the Great slashing and destroying a knot was an infinitely small price to pay in comparison to becoming king of all of Asia. So, unless you find yourself in front of an ox cart with a Gordian knot on its yoke, then perhaps it is best to put that sword away. Otherwise, you run the risk of being reckless.