Day 24: The Zigzagging Dragonfly vs. The Grounded Toad

Some bring endless motion, always alight with ideas. Others bring calm stability, quietly mastering the small things that keep everything going. In between, there is tension between starting and finishing, between energy and execution.

Yesterday, we witnessed two ways of navigating tension — the Shadow Fox, who whispers through backchannels, and the Standing Badger, who calls things out directly. Today, we trade confrontation for concentration. We shift our gaze from how people manage conflict… to how they manage clutter.

Because in every workplace, there are desks that sparkle with systems — and others that sparkle with… something else.

🪁 The Zigzagging Dragonfly

The Dragonfly doesn’t sit still — neither does their mind.

Their desk is a mosaic of creative chaos: colourful Post-its, notebooks that open in the wrong direction, sketches on envelopes, and a mug that hasn't held coffee in three weeks. Their laptop? Tabs open like a modern art installation. Files named “FINAL_revised_FINAL_USE_THIS_ONE” float freely on a desktop that stretches beyond the visible screen.

They’re full of energy, ideas, and enthusiasm. They're the first to spark a brainstorm, the ones who pitch three campaigns in a single sentence. But follow-up? Not their strong suit.

They live in the thrill of the start. The momentum of the middle. But often vanish before the landing. As if the ground is just too still for them to touch.

Ask them for a file, and you’ll hear, “Give me five seconds!” This is followed by an archaeological dig that lasts until tomorrow.

They don’t mean to leave things hanging. They’re just already halfway to the next thing before the last one has a title.

🐸 The Grounded Toad

The Toad is the quiet opposite.

Their workspace is clear, almost serene. A single document open — and it’s the one they’re actually working on. Not twenty tabs. Not six half-finished drafts. Just one focus, one task, one calm breath at a time.

Their digital world mirrors their physical one. Folders inside folders, colour-coded, dated, and labelled with a precision that borders on sacred. Ask for an old file, and they’ll retrieve it before you’ve finished your sentence — exactly where it should be.

They don’t move quickly, but they move deliberately. They don’t chase shiny ideas — they complete what they commit to. Their genius lies not in speed, but in structure.

But that structure can become a trap.

They wait until everything is “ready.” They tweak, refine, and pause — sometimes so long that opportunities pass. In a world that rewards fast loops, the Toad’s commitment to thoughtfulness can look like delay.

Their risk? Missing the leap while they’re still measuring the distance.

🔍 The Reflection

The Dragonfly and the Toad are two ways of being — restless spark vs. anchored depth.

The Dragonfly brings energy, creativity, and contagious enthusiasm—but it often leaves trails of unclosed loops. The Toad brings clarity, calm, and follow-through—but it risks overpolishing while others have already shipped version two.

Together, they balance chaos and order. Apart, they struggle with either too much start… or not enough start.

So ask yourself: Are your ideas dancing too fast to land? Or is your perfectionism keeping the plane from taking off?

And what would it take to stir the air and move the ground?

📌 Did You Know?

Dragonflies are among the most agile fliers in the insect world — capable of changing direction mid-flight, hovering, and darting between targets with remarkable speed. But their zigzagging grace comes at a cost: they rarely stay in one place long.

Toads, in contrast, are slow-moving and deliberate. They rely on grounded stillness and precise movements to conserve energy. They don’t leap often — but when they do, it’s with power and purpose.

In teams, we need both: The spark that ignites momentum. And the anchor that ensures it lands.

📚 References

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

• Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work

• Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence

• Harvard Business Review (2021). “Why Brilliant People Sometimes Struggle with Execution”

• Jung, C.G. (1953). Psychological Types