Canary in the Coal Mine

Dear Mine Manager,

I’ve lost my voice, and by the directive of Dr. Birdie, I need to take a leave of absence. Please stay safe.

-Canary

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Notice: This mine’s canary has withdrawn. Proceed further at your own risk.

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When you’re sent in as the canary - first-in, last out, farther and deeper each time – and you’ve sung your little heart out time and again for it only to fall on deaf ears, what are you to do?

If you find yourself in a consulting role, either formally or informally – internally or externally, and the rest of the team chooses not to heed what you know to be ineffective, ill-advised or outright dangerous, you have three options: sing, flee or recontract.

When to Sing

Sing until you’ve exhausted every verse to every ear that will listen. Break out the forte, ensure you’re heard over the din. Sprinkle in a few sforzando pianos to accent your message and promptly fall quiet. Are they listening? When you fall silent, they need to notice. Train them to notice the difference. Sometimes you must let silence speak before you can sing again.  

When to Flee

If no melody can rouse them and your health or wellbeing are at risk, the time has come to flee. Their stubbornness is not worth your sanity. Once you’ve done your due diligence, your colleagues are then responsible for their actions. The consequences could be grave, but they will have freely chosen them. Sometimes mild to moderate setbacks are the only way others will learn.

By fleeing, you will not have to witness them do what you’ve feared, safeguarding your precious little avian heart. Your spirit will sing on for another day and can support and safeguard others. Self-preservation may seem selfish or cowardly, but in fact, it is smart when it enables you to protect others in the future.    

When to Recontract

Canaries have two contracting arrangements: internal and external. 

If you’re a canary in a comfortable cage, you can flutter to a new perch, engage with new and challenging toys or enter a new habitat. Those in proximity to hear you can choose to stay or go. They are coming to you for a novel song - your external consulting expertise. Your cage is outside of their comfort zone and knowledge base. They walk away humming your tune and own the outcome. You may or may not see the result. As the song wafts away and the fees line your cage, the air falls quiet with whispers of their success a long way off. Ensure your contract is not dependent on immediate, direct success, but rather knowledge transfer or tool delivery.   

In contrast, if you’re a free-range canary, you get your beak and feet dirty in the trenches with the miners. You’re on the same team. You may be more likely to be overlooked or taken for granted. Your voice could be drowned out over the sound of the excavation. The challenge is – you are held responsible for the outcome as you sit at a perch far from the decision makers. Yes, a good song can sway the heart, but your influence may be limited.

In this case, the answer should entail success metrics that are within your control and the use of a rate card, mimicking an external canary. Your performance has value, and whether attended to or not, your contribution should carry a fee, cross-charged at the mining company. If the team wants a canary’s presence and subjects you to the risky experience, ensure roles, responsibilities and results are well defined. If these are not crisp and clear at the entry into the mine, recontract so that they are. Otherwise, you may be flying deeper into a mine only to be snuffed out with no one to mourn you.

To the Point

Sing with confidence and fly to where you are valued, so everyone can benefit.         

Image sources: Wikipedia, Sea Witch Botanicals and GIF courtesy of Wix