After months locked down in stalemate, two armies sit either side of the Valley of Elah, the Israelites on the North and Philistines on the South.
Spectating from above, all present would have witnessed a seven-foot giant warrior, gleaming in armour with He-Man’s magic sword, walk down the south side to face a small shepherd boy, dressed in a plain robe and carrying just a staff.
The Ladbrokes in downtown Bethlehem had suspended betting on the outcome of David vs Goliath... How could a shepherd boy possibly defeat the mightiest most fearsome warrior of their generation?
The rest we say is history and we all know what happened next.
David, the world’s most famous ever UNDERDOG, against insurmountable odds, defeated the giant Goliath, ensuring victory for the Kingdom of Israel.
Fast forward to 2020AD. As we all stand spectating at the top of Toilet Roll Mountain, the above story has many parallels.
Sat self-isolating in our homes, seeing the COVID-19 virus as another unsurmountable Goliath of an opponent, leaving us struggling to see any possibility of victory. With an initial 3-week lockdown fast turning into the threat of a 30-year life sentence.
This is however, where we all have an opportunity to change our perspective using evidence based on the work of one of my favourite authors Malcolm Gladwell.
You see, almost everything we think we know about the story of David and Goliath is actually incorrect!
Let me repeat – You got it all wrong Donkey Kong!
David was NOT the Underdog. He are the ACTUAL FACTS about David and Goliath…
- David was a master with a slingshot and had used it to great effect for years, protecting his flock against lions, tigers and other predators. Skilled slingers could accurately hit birds mid-flight and animals at over 200 yards. The speed of sling was 6-7 revolutions a second, equivalent to firing a 45mm handgun..
- Goliath was led onto the valley slowly by an attendant. Medical experts today tend to agree that Goliath had giantism, caused by a tumour that produces high amounts of growth hormone. The side effects of this condition were poor vision, with him almost certainly being profoundly near-sighted..
With these facts, that cannot be seen from the top of the Valley of Elah or Toilet Roll Mountain, the odds suddenly swing faster than David’s sling.
The best way to describe what happened is the scene out of Indiana Jones where Indiana shoots the swordsman…
In short, don’t bring a sword to a gun fight!
I am by no means making light of COVID-19 and the unknown heartbreak and pain it will cause for those affected. This is about us adopting a more positive realism about the situation to ensure we seek out the truth instead of standing back and making snap judgements.
The VIRUS can be beaten, we all just need to accept that our beliefs of the current status quo need to change, ensuring we use checked facts not believed facts.
The great Simon Sinek as always puts it perfectly, when he says ‘are you in Survival Mode or Reinvention mode?’
Lets start this reinvention journey by being a bit kinder to each other. When the dust settles what will be remembered will be how you behaved. Lets kill the Virus with Kindness!
There is one final lesson around leadership we can take from this biblical story of David and Goliath.
King Saul of Israel sent David to face Goliath when as King it was his duty to do so. This showed that Saul was not fit to lead (and that David was). As leaders, we must in times of crisis lead from the front and face the challenge head on for our teams.
- What is your current perspective of the situation?
- Are you in survival mode or reinvention mode?
- What strengths / tools do you have at your disposal? What is your slingshot?
- How are you identifying checked facts against believed facts?
- Are you viewing as a spectator with no control or are you gonna walk down into the Valley?
