The Origin Story (Part 3): Icarus's Wings & Navigating Polarities with Balanced Leadership

I like to imagine what went through Daedalus’s mind when he communicated the escape strategy from the labyrinth with his son, Icarus. 

Confined for eternity in his own creation, the irony had to be compelling. As the myth is most commonly told, King Minos accepted Daedalus to Crete, revitalizing the career of Athens’s once most famed sculptor, engineer, and architect. Daedalus’s work was once so legendary that it survived through the time of Plato and Socrates when his wooden sculptures were said to be so lifelike that they had to be tied down.

But Daedalus let hubris and fear get the better of him. As he reached his prime, he agreed to tutor his sister’s son, Talos. Daedalus soon discovered that Talos’s talents were limitless and would soon surpass his own. Unable to live in his student’s shadow, Daedalus threw his Talos off the cliff of the Acropolis to end the threat to his livelihood and ego. 

So in Crete and King Minos’s court, Daedalus received a second chance as an enslaved exile to make good in his life. And yet again—though arguably not quite his fault this time—he found himself on the wrong side of power and was banished to the labyrinth with his son as punishment for breaking King Minos’s trust.

If your Greek mythology is a little fuzzy, what happens next is the most memorable part of the story. Daedalus constructs two sets of beeswax wings feathered by Crete’s golden eagles. He gives a pair to his son and shows him how they are to work. Together, they escape the labyrinth and the plan is executed flawlessly. 

Except Icarus, like his father in his younger days, allows arrogance to blind him. Ignoring his father’s advice about flying too close to the sun, Icarus’s wings melt, causing him to plunge to death into the Sea of Crete. 

What compels me isn’t the story’s most common lesson. While I feel a strong personal connection to letting arrogance weaken us, knowing the story as “the boy who flew too close to the sun” only captures a part of the wisdom being told. The fable of deadly arrogance is incomplete. 

In truth, Daedalus wanted to give his son a broader lesson—a father’s wisdom thickened by the scars of his complicated past.

The real lesson of the story is one that I carry with deep gratitude on this next journey in my life and is the end-cap to the origin story of On Glideslope.

Part 1: Heron Medicine Part 2: Hi! I am Lap Dog

What other wisdom was Daedalus sharing with Icarus?

the wisdom in the shades between colors

Life is beautiful, and, at times, really freakin’ hard. 

If there is one thing I have taken with me in my 42 laps around the sun, it is that.

It is almost as though we are meant to struggle between reward and challenge. Some days, we revel in peace and accomplishment. On other days, we can feel like an endless pit of frustration and pain.

Is there a lesson in this?

When I look back upon my days in military and corporate leadership, I see that when I failed, it was typically because I lost some sense of balance in my life. Many times, I worked too hard and burned out. At other moments, I was consumed by apathy and disinterest. 

In all cases, my performance suffered and I did not show up as people needed me to. I have missed too many opportunities or have sacrificed my own health because I swung between these extremes. 

I have reflected a lot on this as I have navigated my healing journey and rediscovered my identity. The lesson I continue to walk away with is that there is elegance in balance. So much of life is not about an “either/or” decision. In fact, I have found that taking a “both/and” way of thinking frees us from the false choice that life is mostly a binary way of being.

We don’t have to be limited to that way of thinking. There is wisdom in the shades between colors.

We can find a way to work hard AND prioritize our health. It is possible to be firm AND caring.  There is a harmony between confidence AND humility. How refreshing it is to be candid AND diplomatic.

The call for balance isn’t a revolutionary idea. The lessons are there, long etched in ancient writing and story:

• Ma'at (Ancient Egyptians)

• Ying Yang (Daoism)

• The Middle Way (Buddha)

• Dharma (Hinduism)

• Doctrine of the Mean (Confucianism)

• Golden Mean (Aristotle)

Somewhere along the way, however, it seems we lost this knowledge. Maybe we got caught up in planning fiscal budgets, hitting earning targets, or living in a boom/bust of an economy designed to keep things new and shiny. Whatever it is, many of us are stuck in polarities that not only don’t serve us, but sabotage our happiness and prosperity.

There is no harmony. No chord is to be struck between the notes. It's just a side to be taken and a limitation on what is possible.

But I have to wonder. I feel the need to dream a little. 

What would it look like if we changed that?

navigating polarities with balanced leadership

Time is the scarcest of all resources. It is non-renewable and constantly fleeting. Once gone, we never get it back.  

There is no greater gift we can ever give each other than the time we have.

We spend 12.5 years (total aggregated time) working as adults. If subtract time left for sleep, that leaves us only 25 years to eat, travel, raise children, relax into hobbies, and pursue our dreams. In our conscious/awake moments, that means we work one full year to earn two for the freedom of "just being." One-third of our conscious/awake adult life is spent in the office.

How many of those years are spent in good health and happiness? 

Do we not owe it to ourselves then and to those we lead to be the best version of ourselves each day? Is there some way to harmonize the demands of work by creating a space that people want to be a part of?

Look, being a great leader is hard work—as it should be. There is a lot at stake and not everyone is up for the responsibility. But I will maintain that our ability to be the best leaders we can be and to create the organizations that people will commit to with unmatched loyalty requires that we find a balance between the extremes.

That is where I borrow the aviation concept of ‘on glideslope.’ In short, during recovery in inclement weather, pilots rely on their aircraft instruments to guide them on an approach that follows a manageable glideslope (or glide path). Fly too low, and you hit a mountain. Keep in too much power or speed, and you overshoot the runway.

Neither are optimal outcomes. The key is to stay on glideslope. 

There it is. A simple leadership mantra: to navigate polarities with balanced leadership. Finding a melody between the extremes.

What of Daedalus then?

So what did Daedalus say to Icarus just before they escaped?

“I warn you, Icarus, fly a middle course:

Don’t go too low, or water will weigh the wings down;

Don’t go too high, or the sun’s fire will burn them.

Keep to the middle way.

And one more thing,

No fancy steering by star or constellation,

Follow my lead!” 

As with Greek mythology, embedded in the story is a great lesson. If anyone knew how to avoid deadly ambition, it was Daedalus. He made sure his son knew this.

But I have always appreciated the other advice: don’t fly too low or the water will weigh down your wings.

There is a lot at stake when you choose to lead. As much as there may be great reward, there is also tremendous sacrifice. The opportunity is not one to be taken lightly, but it is also not a place to hide or fail to leverage what makes you great either. 

To lead is to dare greatly, to be guided by humble confidence, and to know when firm kindness yields the best result. To strike a balance between the polarities of life.

Let's shine a light on what makes you a great leader. But don't let that get to your head either.

Strike harmony between the extremes. Seek out the middle way. Stay “On Glideslope.”  The world needs better leaders. Let's do that, together.

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Justin is an experienced leadership coach committed to making a difference in the world, beginning with influential leaders in positions to affect change. His diverse professional background includes co-founding several startups in the non-profit and security sectors, and leading in various marketing, operations, and analytics roles. Additionally, he is a 24-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Formerly an AH-1W/Z pilot with over 1100 combat flight hours, Justin has traded his love for the skies for the passion to support transformational change for those who heed the call to lead.

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