One Stream, One Scream, And A Lifetime Of Leadership Lessons From An Electric Fence

About forty years ago, three cousins found themselves with nothing to do and way too much imagination. Two of us were farm kids—used to dirt, danger, and the kind of boredom that breeds creativity. The third was a suburban cousin, visiting for the weekend, wide-eyed and unsuspecting.

We were standing near the edge of the yard, just past the barn, when the idea hit me. The electric fence was right there. The opportunity was too perfect. I dared our suburban cousin to pee on it.

To calm his nerves, I volunteered to go first. What he didn’t know was that my other farm cousin had quietly slipped off to the barn and unplugged the fence charger. So I stepped up, did the deed, and walked away like a champ. No sparks. No screams. Just a calm stroll back to the fence line.

Suburban cousin watched, impressed. Confident. He stepped up, mid-stream, fully committed—and just as he did, my farm cousin plugged the charger back in.

What followed was pure chaos. A jolt. A yell. A flailing dance that looked like a fire drill gone wrong. He was hopping, grabbing, and trying to figure out why a certain part of his anatomy had just been betrayed by physics. Me and my farm cousin? We were doubled over, laughing so hard we couldn’t breathe.

Our suburban cousin? Not so amused.

Now, while that moment was hilarious (for two of us), it also stuck with me. Because buried in that ridiculous scene are some serious lessons about leadership, decision-making, and organizational culture. Here’s what that electric fence taught me:

1. What Works for One Doesn’t Work for All

I walked away unscathed. My cousin got the shock of his life! Same action, different outcome. Why? Because the conditions changed. In business, we love to borrow strategies from other companies or departments. “It worked for them, so it’ll work for us.” But context matters. Culture matters. Timing matters. One-size-fits-all solutions usually fit no one well—and often leave someone getting shocked.

2. Don’t Skip the Due Diligence

My cousin didn’t ask questions. He trusted what he saw and jumped in. That’s how a lot of business decisions get made—fast, reactive, and based on incomplete information. Urgency is rarely real. Take a breath. Ask the right questions. Make sure the fence isn’t live before you commit.

3. If It Feels Off, It Probably Is

He hesitated. He had doubts. But he ignored them because everything looked fine on the surface. In leadership, we often override our gut because someone else seems confident. But intuition is a powerful tool. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. That little voice in your head? It’s trying to save you from a very uncomfortable experience.

4. Don’t Blindly Trust Everyone—Even Those Close to You

My cousin trusted me and our other cousin without hesitation. We were family. That trust made the prank possible. In business, most people have good intentions—but not all. Sometimes, bad information comes from people who should know better, or worse, who know exactly what they’re doing. Blind trust is not a leadership strategy. Verify. Validate. Protect your decision-making process, even when the advice comes from someone you know well.

5. Culture Is Conductive—And Contagious

Here’s the kicker: the shock didn’t just affect my cousin. It changed the dynamic between all of us. He didn’t trust us for a while. And rightly so. In organizations, we often talk about how bad things flow downhill—but the aftershock always finds its way back up to leadership. If you energize your culture with fear, manipulation, or confusion, don’t be surprised when it jolts your credibility.

Final Thought: Don’t Pee on Your Culture

Leadership isn’t about avoiding electric fences. It’s about knowing when they’re live, who’s holding the plug, and whether the dare is worth the risk. Forty-years later, my cousin still hasn’t peed on another fence. That’s wisdom earned the hard way.

Let’s make sure our teams don’t have to learn the same way.

Dr. Neal McIntyre, DPA