Hercules and The 12 Labors: Sounds like WORK

I have always loved mythology.  When your things aren’t going well, those crazy jealous gods of Greek and Roman myths, will always top your own woes.

I saw Hercules recently…the movie… not so good. But it did remind me of the tales on the great hero’s 10/12 labors, and all the creatures and characters in the stories sound like most days at the job.  However, while we all know Hercules as the strongest man in the world, the labors are mostly solved with his quick thinking and problem solving skills and not his muscles.

The ultimate moral: The goddess Hera magically caused Hercules to go insane. As a result, Hercules murdered his own wife and children. When he snapped out of it, he was anguished, but still had to carry out a sentence for what he'd done. The historical message of the myth is clear: whatever the circumstances, take responsibility for your mistakes.

Labor 1: The Nemean Lion: Get your hands dirty

Ahh… the Nemean Lion, the fierce competitor that simply can’t be slain with a sword. So… find another way. Hercules strangles it with his bare hands.  Now, that is a critical thinking.  The Nemean Lion teaches us to find another solution, and sometimes, we just may need to get out hands dirty while we implement the right strategy. When one or many ideas do not work, find the one that does. Focus on your own strengths to conquer the competition. There is more than one way to skin a cat! 

After he kills the lion, Heracles skins it and wears its hide as a cape. The skin that cannot be pierced by a sword serves as protection for Hercules for the rest of his life… his armor.

Your armor… think through problems and find the solution. Don’t’ give up when one doesn’t work.

Labor 2: The Lernean Hydra: Respect

My favorite!  Nothing like a co-worker, peer, customer, or boss with multiple heads… you never know which one will show up. And, when you think you eliminate one of the heads…two more come back! The many personalities encountered by the working adult is a Hydra. Our mission is to learn to work with all of them.  I think that to slay the work Hydra, the venom is respect.  You do not have to like everyone you work with. You do not have to agree with them all the time. You do not have to invite them for dinner. But, you must respect them for the role they play in your business. Respect is the flame that cauterizes the heads of the Hydra. And, its two heads.  Show respect… earn respect.

Labor 3: Erymanthian Boar: You are not boring

Hercules is ordered to capture the boar…not kill it.  The lesson here is things are not always what they appear.  It would have been easier to kill the boar because capturing it alive meant our hero had to carry the beast back on his shoulders.

Do you find yourself carrying others?  Do others ride your coat tail? Does that bore you?  Don’t let it. You will rise to the top if you stay the course and continue to lead by example.   Ask yourself why someone rides your coat tail.  Could the answer be admiration? As leaders, we all must, at times, carry the boar. Stand proud that others want to be part of your coat tail.

 Labor 4: Ceryneian Hind: You got skills. Use them!

Heracles captures an incredibly fast deer with golden horns.  The Hind is sacred so Hercules pursues it for almost a year to capture it unharmed.  Using his clever skills and patience, he capture the sacred creature. Moral…if the result is worth it, use your skills to secure it…it is worth the time you take to earn it.

Labor 5: Augean Stables: Get to the bottom of it

The Augean stables are owned by a lazy lord who does not clean up after his oxen. The stables are filled with massive amounts of dung, and guess who has to clean it up? Do you ever fill like you have to “clean things up” for those that don’t take care of their oxen? Don’t get mad... get curious. Why don’t they care for the oxen?  Do they not know how?  Are they lazy?  Are they hurt is some way?  Are they afraid of the oxen? Do they not have clear outlined and attainable goals set for them in oxen maintenance?  Do they understand the oxen maintenance schedule/goals? Behind the dung is an answer. Get curious and dig to find it.

Labor 6: Stymphalian Birds: Be the person everyone wants to hear

Good grief… man-eating birds.  Is there no end to mythical creatures?  Constant chatter and “noise” can scare away anything.  Are you a person who always has the need to say something even if it is just to hear yourself talk?  Yes, contribute, please. But words with empty thoughts are simply noise and will frighten the flock.

Hercules uses a pair of bronze castanets to drive the man-eating birds far away. The noise of the clattering castanets frightened the birds, who flew as one into the air. Hercules shot with his arrows a great many of them, while the others quickly fled the scene.

Labor 7: The Cretan Bull: Don’t be a dumper

This insane, fire-breathing bull was kept as a pet by King Minos of Crete. Heracles had little trouble wrestling this mad beast to the ground and bringing it back to the king… mission accomplished. The king, not big on a fire-breathing bull as a pet, sets it loose to terrorize the land. Are you a dumper?  When the going gets tough do you dump the project on someone else?  Instead, find those who can help you tame that fire.

Labor 8: Horses of Diomedes: Lead by example

"Capturing Horses," you say, "That doesn't seem too hard."  Well…it just so happens that these horses are man-eaters.  See #5…cousins to the birds. That's right... King Diomedes is in the habit of feeding his horses the flesh of people that get on his nerves.  Now, now… don’t get any ideas.  You cannot feed your coworkers who get on your nerves to the “sharks”.   A herd of horses naturally follow its leader. If the leader feeds them flesh, they become flesh-eating horses. As leaders, we have the very difficult task of identifying the sources of disruption, eliminate those practices, and “feed” the team vision and truth rather than fear and mistrust.

Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyta: Diplomacy is often the best policy

The queen on the Amazons.  Oh, to be tall with long legs!

I love this labor.  It shows that it pays to be nice. Heracles goes to their queen and asks her nicely for her belt. Amazingly, she agrees.  Things get complicated next… but for our story…remember, it is not always just what you say, it is how you say it.

Labor 10: Cattle of Geryon: Strike with vigor

Geryon, is a giant with three bodies and three sets of legs all connected at the waist. It's Heracles' job to fetch Geryon's beautiful herd of cattle, which are colored red by the sunset.  Another one of my favorites.  KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE.  Do not become distracted by the obstacles that block your way to the goal. There will ALWAYS be giants with 6 legs and oceans to cross. Focus on the beautiful end result. And, trust in those that can help. If, after a long journey, we are confronted with a giant, a two-headed dog, and a three-bodied winged monster, all of which block our path to our goal, we must strike back with conviction. Strike with vigor and gather the confidence to overcome the two-headed dog of indecision or whatever other big freakish obstacle that you may face.

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Whoa, wait a minute. There's only supposed to be ten labors, right?  When Heracles gets back with the red cattle of Geryon, the King pulls a fast one on him. The wimpy king tells Heracles that he's not going to count the killing of the Hydra or Augean stables because he had help.  Well, the king never said he couldn’t have help.  Hint: unclear, misunderstood goals always cause more labor(s).

Labor 11: The Golden Apples of the Hesperides: Keep your wits about you

The trick on Atlas. We all know Atlas. He holds up the world.  We all need a break from holding up our worlds and we may lose our edge, if we don’t stay focused.

Heracles must now fetch some golden apples from the nymphs known as the Hesperides, who were said to represent the sunset. To get the apples, Heracles enlists the help of the Titan Atlas, who is doomed by Zeus to hold the sky up on his back. Heracles tells Atlas that he'll hold the sky up for a little while if the Titan wouldn't mind fetching some of those lovely golden apples. Atlas, who is seriously sick of holding up the sky, agrees. When Atlas comes back with the apples, however, he suggests that Hercules keep the sky on his shoulders while Atlas delivers the apples to the king.

Heracles thinks this sounds suspiciously like a trick. Our hero "agrees" with Atlas, but tells the Titan to take back the sky for just a minute while he puts a pad on his shoulders to ease his burden. When Atlas takes the sky back, Hercules says, "See ya!" and heads off with the apples.  

Labor 12: Cerberus: No one likes to be in the dark

The three-headed hound, Cerberus, who guards the gates of the underworld is Hercules’ last labor. You have a Cerberus don’t you?  We all do. You know… the one who looks at you like you have 3 heads when you are proposing a solution or working on a new project.  We must figuratively grab those doubters and naysayers.  Listen objectively to their points. But stand by your ideas. Converse and negotiate until they agree to come out into the light to see a shared view. Then set them free.

By all accounts, Hercules was Ancient Greece's consummate hero---part superman, part everyman. He took responsibility for his mistakes. He was a critical thinker, courageous, indomitable, and often alone in his fight against the tyrannies of the world.  Twelve myths, day-to-day job duties, new projects, regulations, revenue targets, all can be considered labors. Yes, we are all faced with Herculean tasks every day. Think through problems, be courageous, and know your team has your back. There’s a hero in all of us.