Lead With CLARITY Newsletter - September 2026 Issue #18 - When You Need A Friend

Peter McLean
21 hours ago
5 min read

I was recently listening to Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in the car, as you do.

It's a song almost as old as I am. Written by Paul Simon in early 1969, it's a gospel/Bach-inspired outpouring that reflects deep distress over the issues of the day - The Vietnam War, assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr and John F Kennedy, impact of the US around the globe, social, familial, economic and political upheaval.

So, you know, no different to today.

Simon wrote the song and insisted Garfunkel sing it essentially solo. Simon later regretted that. Garfunkel suggested the addition of a final upbeat stanza, which Simon added, although he didn't want to. But people have been wondering who the "Silver girl" was ever since and why she figured into the song. (It was Simon's nickname for his fiancée/future wife.)

Part of the lyrics of that last stanza say,

"All your dreams are on their way, See how they shine, Oh, if you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind."

It's those last verses that make no sense in the context of the song, but importantly for this piece - make no sense if you are trying to help someone to achieve.

If someone has dreams - let's call them for our purposes a corporate vision - to fulfill, do you need a friend who sails behind, faintly cheering your way forward? (They're faint, because you are supposedly sailing into the wind, hair billowing behind you in the breeze, which is not even a possibility in my case, while you bravely chart unknown waters.)

No, you need a friend beside you, who is helping to bear the burden leading the way. Helping you to change tack, steer the boat, haul in the rigging or lean over the side to stop it from capsizing while you change course.

The Lone Ranger Mythos

This is where so many leaders come unstuck. Taking on the mythos of the American lone ranger hero, they try to forge ahead and hope people will cheer them on from the back as they watch them save the day. But instead, they fall off their horse onto their ... backside ... and get surrounded by the enemy.

People forget that it was always Tonto saving The Lone Ranger's backside. He was right there beside him in the battle, even if he was off-screen for a while.

The Lone Ranger really could have used Tonto's friendly advice at times, like "Hey, Lone Ranger, don't go into that camp all alone without some kind of exit strategy, because otherwise it's going to go down very badly for you."

At least, I'm pretty sure Tonto gave that kind of advice.

It's like Kodak's (in?)famous failure in the digital market. They invented the world's first digital camera in 1975, but they were so successful in traditional film, they struggled to change course as the market - the seascape - changed around them.

They had developed the technology. What they struggled to do was to redirect the business around it.

They could have used a friend beside them saying, "I'll help you. Let's change tack, even though it's hard". Instead, they went from behemoth to bankruptcy in 2012.

Or it's like when senior execs or CEOs are hell-bent on the strategy they've personally devised, seeking no external input or adjustment - friendly or otherwise. And it all goes haywire for them or the company.

I saw the last one happen recently when a client brought me in as a corporate "friend" to facilitate a substantial strategy shift for the group.

A senior exec objected to the whole process on the basis that they were "very experienced" in this sort of thing, knew how to develop strategy and had it all worked out.

Only, his strategy hadn't been discussed with anyone, didn't account for market direction and opportunities, didn't involve production, product and service development or client engagement, didn't consider competitive movement and forces, didn't account for personnel and plant needs, didn't etc. etc. etc. and was merely a continuation of current work in progress, with some growth forecasting factored in.

Turns out, the business needs dynamic change so he exited himself from the entire company, rather than work to turn any shared vision into a reality.

And they are the better off for it, as they now have less internal obstructions to their growth.

They are headed down the pathway with multiple "friends" and allies to help.

When You Do Need To "Go It Alone"

That's not to say there aren't times when you need to "go it alone". But even then, it's not as solitary as it seems.

Even the famous Australasian Antarctic Expedition of (Sir) Douglas Mawson and team from 1911-1914, which peaked with Mawson's solitary 32-day march across 160 kms of the wild and desperately dangerous Antarctic in January and February of 1913, is a tale not of solitary heroism, but of provision by friends.

Mawson's life was only saved by the facts that:

his shipmates had left a "bread crumb trail" of provisions for him, and
the whole expedition had built a grand, fully stocked, sealed and heated hut to which he was able to return, where several expedition members had remained behind for him.

They were all later picked up by a return trip of their ship, the Aurora.

If You Need A Friend...

Let's face it. Everybody does.

One of the CLARITY points I frequently make is that we should "Aim Higher Together".

That "Together" part is crucial.

You can only reach so high by yourself. But with the help of many friends, you all can reach higher than anyone could ever dream of alone.

Speaking Personally

My eldest daughter got engaged a couple of months ago - Yay! - and we held the Engagement Party during the month of August.

It was a gorgeous day outside. Both families and all of the multiple friends of the happy couple had a great time over the course of an entire afternoon, such that the younger ones were all still around when we needed to pack up.

And, boy, was it a lot quicker with all of those energetic young Uni friends (most of whom are in engineering) working together to take down and put away.

At the end of a long day and a lot of preparation for the event, it was a relief.

My future son-in-law's Dad is a Primary School Deputy Principal - very used to getting all "the kids" to help. So he had no hesitation when it was time to load all the equipment on his trailer.

Friends can be very helpful!