Legend has it that when Tsar Nicholas I of Russia was planning the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, he used a ruler to draw a straight line on the map.
However, his thumb accidentally extended beyond the edge of the ruler, creating a slight detour in the proposed route.
Engineers didn’t want to challenge his authority, so the railway was constructed as drawn, becoming known as "The Tsar's Finger."
In reality, the detour was likely created to avoid a steep gradient, but the story captured people’s imaginations anyway.
It resonates because it’s both perplexing and familiar.
Perplexing, because it’s hard to imagine ourselves carrying out such a silly plan.
Familiar, because we see people following questionable orders all the time, usually for two reasons:
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Fear: If they don’t feel safe to question or challenge, they stay silent.
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Apathy: It takes more effort than it’s worth to challenge what’s proposed.
So how can you prevent yourself, or your colleagues, from creating a Tsar’s Finger?
Because the real detours in organisations aren’t drawn by bumpy thumbs, they’re created when good people stay silent.
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