It’s not that it’s a bad metaphor. It’s that it has lulled leaders into a completely wrong picture of what their job is.
The whole “North Star” thing makes it sound like clarity is about pointing somewhere far away. You put a shiny dot up in the sky, tell everyone that’s where we’re going, ideally using fancy words, and then sit back, satisfied that you’ve done your part.
But here’s the problem:
People don’t live up there.
They live down here.
On the ground, with obstacles in their way, fog all around, and a thousand confusing paths splitting off in every direction.
From down here, the North Star doesn’t tell you which turn to take. It doesn’t show you where the next step is. It doesn’t even guarantee you’re still heading in the right direction when the terrain gets messy.
And yet, I keep hearing leaders patting themselves on the back because they “set the North Star.”
As if that’s enough. As if that alone will get anyone moving.
It won’t.
Because people can’t follow stars. They need a little light on the path ahead. Something they can actually see. Something that shows them the next few meters clearly enough to walk with confidence.
That’s my beef with the North Star. It’s comforting. It’s poetic. But it’s too fancy to be useful.
If you want people to walk with you, stop pointing at the sky and start lighting the ground in front of them.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
PS: This is also why A stands for actionable in the PATH framework.
