Boo Radley’s Front Porch

Image attribution: Wallpaper by dooggood from Wallpapers.com

“Boo was our neighbor…he gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives.”  While watching the end to one of the 20th century’s great stories, I was captivated by a premise, a thing really, one that gets a lot of attention in today’s leadership circles – I’m talking about empathy.

“One time Atticus said, ‘You never really knew a man until you stood in his shoes and walked around in them.’ Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”

These are Scout’s closing remarks from the eponymous film masterpiece “To Kill A Mockingbird”, based on the great novel by Harper Lee, and they still ring true when we talk about empathy these days. And we talk about empathy a lot, i.e. what its place is in client engagement and leadership.  And yet, it’s a quote from 1962, among all of the other themes explored and explained, that caught my attention.  

It’s been some time since I’ve watched this venerable cast mold a three-dimensional version of Lee’s book.  Every time, I see things a bit differently.  This time, I focused on Scout (played by Mary Badham who at the time was the youngest academy nominee for best supporting actress) and the amazing performance she gives.  Scout is based on Lee growing up in the South.  She and playmate Dill, inspired by her real-life childhood playpal, Truman Capote (yes that Truman Capote), called themselves “Apart People.”

Apart People.  I can only guess what that means, but I would say it’s that they see things differently and people see them differently for it.  

In one scene, Scout is recalling walking Boo Radley home after he saves her brother’s life. She takes her leave on the front porch as Boo enters the home. It’s the last time she will ever see him.  The house is dark, dreary, unpainted, with an abandoned look.  Haunted.  Perhaps.  Hence her reticence to go inside, and just stay there, it was safer.

It makes me consider all of the people who cross paths with us in our daily lives whom we see and don’t notice. Our Apart People. They work with us, live next door to us, go to school and church with us.  We make contact with these people at modestly regular intervals; they are truly part of our lives. And while we may or may not actually know them, we know of them.  Their names – maybe not both first and last – and in the case of co-workers, what they do for a living.  I have to admit, in my past, getting to know more hasn’t been a priority for me. I certainly could’ve done better. Why didn’t I? Why has it been difficult for me? Part of it is, as an introvert, energy is currency for me, so either consciously or unconsciously, I often save it for myself.  Selfish of me I realize, considering whom I missed that I could have learned from, and who could have learned from me. Making a point of reaching Apart People is part of me now. Though it’s a hard habit to break, it deserves breaking.

At work, breaking the barriers to reach Apart People is more difficult as one rises in an organization. We’re so busy, there’s so much responsibility, that once a company grows beyond 15 or 20 people, a founder or senior leader often struggles to maintain connections.  In my largest leadership experience, I spent a lot of time on the road, so upon my return, I made it a point to spend a few days in the office.  During that time, I intentionally reached out to get a sense of what was going on with others.  I learned a ton.  About the company, its teams, and mostly about me. Of course, this was much later in my career so I clearly had a long way to go to break even in the “getting to know all about you” category.  

Today, there are no steps to conclude this stream of ideas.  No tips to bestow upon you, my dearest hippos. This one is about intentionality.

Just a closing thought: Empathy is by one definition, walking in another’s shoes.  When we attempt to be empathetic, do we even see the Radley’s porch, let alone, step inside their house?

“Just how prepared are you for greatness? About four months of 2024 remain. What’s taking you so long to make changes!  Maybe taking a deeper look makes sense.  Here’s a link to discussing it right now!”