There’s an old fable often attributed to Aesop:
“The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe — because its handle was made of wood, and they thought it was one of them.”
It’s simple.
It’s uncomfortable.
And it’s deeply relevant today.
The Illusion of Alignment
The power of this story lies in one idea:
Familiarity is mistaken for alignment.
The trees didn’t question the axe because part of it looked like them.
In modern organizations, this shows up in subtle ways:
• Leaders adopt tools because competitors are using them
• Teams follow trends because they sound familiar
• Organizations implement change without questioning intent
• Strategies are accepted because they “feel right”
But similarity does not equal safety.
And familiarity does not equal alignment.
Why This Happens (What Research Shows)
Behavioral science explains this through in-group bias — our tendency to trust what appears similar to us.
Research in social psychology shows that:
• People are more likely to trust those who seem familiar
• Shared traits create perceived credibility — even without evidence
• Decisions are often influenced by identity, not outcomes
This bias is powerful — and often invisible.
The Modern Version of the Axe
Today, the “axe” doesn’t look like a threat.
It shows up as:
• tools that promise efficiency but reduce adaptability
• strategies that optimize short-term metrics at long-term cost
• AI systems adopted without governance or alignment
• transformation programs that look right — but don’t fit
And because part of them feels familiar, organizations accept them.
The Leadership Responsibility
Great leadership requires asking a different question:
Not:
“Does this look like us?”
But:
“Does this serve us?”
This requires:
• critical thinking over comfort
• clarity over conformity
• alignment over appearance
Leaders must challenge:
• where decisions are driven by trend, not intent
• where adoption is happening without understanding
• where familiarity is replacing strategy
Coaching Insight: Seeing Beyond the Handle
In executive coaching, one of the hardest shifts is helping leaders see what they’ve normalized.
Because the most dangerous risks are rarely obvious.
They are the ones that:
• feel safe
• look familiar
• are widely accepted
But slowly move the organization in the wrong direction.
Final Thought
The trees didn’t fall because they were weak.
They fell because they misjudged what they trusted.
In today’s environment — especially with AI, rapid transformation, and constant change — leaders must look beyond what feels familiar.
Because sometimes, what looks like alignment…
is actually the beginning of erosion.
