Chris: The Man, the Myth, The Legend

 For as long as humans have interacted with each other, we have told stories. It’s a part of nearly every cultural tradition, and it’s more than just a way we communicate necessary information.Through stories, we live shared experiences and we learn about others. It’s never just about the story itself. It’s about what the story tells us about the characters’ values, personalities and motivations (Bolman and Deal, pg 248). 

And, in what became the Legend of Chris, we were able to learn that Chris, a city government director, is a fierce defender of his department and employees. According to the story, Chris was so passionate about defending his department from position cuts, he chained himself to a city council member’s chair in a flamboyant act that saved the positions in his department. 

That’s not what truly happened. In reality, Chris behaved professionally as well as passionately, and was ready to fight for his department. But in the city council chambers, he learned that a mistake had been made, and the positions were safe anyway. 

But the story stuck because it was believable. And why was it believable? Because it fits with what people believed already about Chris’s character. The myth would not have persevered had it not been for years of Chris maintaining the impression that he was a person who would fiercely defend his department and employees. Before the day the myth began, Chris must have been seen in the eyes of his employees as someone who could, plausibly, chain himself to a city council chair to protect the workload of his department. After that day, he continued to have productive conversations and relationships with others in city government. The myth, while not true, was true to Chris’s personality, motivations and work behavior. 

In the next blog post, we’ll talk about whether Chris was right in allowing the myth to continue, but one thing is certain. The myth created a certain atmosphere in the department. Along with his demonstrated work and known leadership style, the story conveyed certain leadership values. It tells department employees that their leader is fiercely dedicated and passionate about his work. 

When employees feel like their leader is behind them and behind the department's goals, it sets a better tone. Employees feel like they can take certain risks, for example, because they know that, as long as they are working toward department goals, their actions will be defended. The type of leader who would chain themselves to a chair to protect two positions is not going to throw them under the bus during a government meeting. They can feel free to make decisions and pursue creative solutions to problems. 

The Legend of Chris began as a joke, and developed into a story. But its impact was far greater, beyond just an impact on Chris himself. Over the years, it has had an impact on the perceptions of those who work for Chris, and when perceptions are strong enough, they become a reality.