“The butterflies could be made of dark matter”

Life lessons from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, for the workplace and beyond

Image by smokeybacon on DeviantArt

My Twitter followers will know that I am a big fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and regular readers might have begun to suspect that I am of the pony persuasion when I used a picture of Fluttershy in my recent post about apologies.

Bronies, for those who haven’t heard, are adult fans of Lauren Faust’s epic reboot of the Hasbro line. The term can be used to refer to both male and female fans, but some ladies prefer to call themselves pegasistas. Since breaking into the mainstream with an article in Wired, the brony community has been growing and gaining steam, spawning myriad tumblrs, blogs, fan art, fan fiction, and other awesome creative works.

When Hasbro enlisted Lauren Faust – formerly best known as the genius behind Powerpuff Girls – they had little idea how popular the new children’s show would become with girls, boys, parents and even childless adults, but the heart-warming stories, snappy dialogue, and clever soundtrack have converted many to the brony cause. Some – like me – played with My Little Pony toys as children, while others are discovering talking rainbow ponies for the first time. But whether you’re an old fan or new, bronies are equally welcoming.

As with any fandom, Rule 34 applies. The brony community has its shippers, slash (“clopfic”) writers and erotic fan artists, and unfortunately (or fortunately) these deeper waters serve as a first exposure to bronies for many people. In reality, the brony community is best represented at the premiere brony blog, Equestria Daily, or perhaps the imageboard Ponibooru, rather than the prolific – if questionably tasteful – headquarters for all things pony and NSFW: Equestria After Dark.

But even if you’ve never heard of the Wonderbolts, or if you can’t tell a cutie mark from a sonic rainboom, the show presents a number of valuable lessons about working as a team. Heck, you don’t even have to like the show. There really is something for everypony to learn!

Ask for help
Several episodes feature ponies learning to respect their limits and accept assistance when they need it. While most of us have learned the hard way not to bite off more than we can chew, the ponies remind us that it is okay to ask for help if we find that we’re in over our heads, and that an offer of help is often just that: an offer of help, not an insult or an insinuation of incompetence. Remember, you do no one any good if you burn out! (See episodes 4 and 17.)

Believe in second (and third) chances
One of the things I addressed in my post about trust and accountability is how to rebuild trust after it appears to have been broken. One of the keys is to believe in second chances, and to give colleagues the opportunity to prove their value. Princess Luna is a perfect example: despite beginning the series as arch-villainess Nightmare Moon, she is able to find redemption through the power of friendship and assume a position of leadership. (See episodes 1 and 2.)

Assume good intent
Sometimes people behave in ways that appear to be counterproductive or even malicious, but very often they are trying to do what they think is right – just going about it in an unexpected way. It can be especially tricky for people to adjust to new cultural norms (think openness and sharing versus knowledge is power mindsets), and it is important to ask questions from a position of empathy, and give people a chance to explain their actions. Princess Luna might have seemed scary or domineering when she shouted at the other ponies, but she was just exhibiting what she thought to be an appropriate level of formality. Fortunately, Princess Luna had Twilight Sparkle to explain that shouting isn’t really the best way to go about making new friends. (See episode 30.)

Don’t be afraid to shine
Never hide your talent for the sake of someone else’s ego, but at the same time practice active empathy in all you do. Twilight Sparkle is one especially magical pony, but she hid her skills from her friends for fear that they might envy and resent her talents. She had to learn that there is a difference between living up to your full potential and bragging. (See episode 6.)

Learn from Failure
At the end of almost every episode, the ponies send a letter to their ruler, Princess Celestia, to tell her the latest lesson they have learned on their adventures. If there is one thing that these “friendship reports” prove, it is the educational value of failure. In nearly all cases, the reports detail a pony’s experience royally screwing up – and learning how to avoid making the same error again. In fact, the whole show is framed around the idea of learning from our mistakes.

Embrace Diversity
Each pony is different, with unique talents, personality, and interests. The strength of the friends is derived from this very diversity: the ponies can rely on each other to compensate for weaknesses, inspire growth, and offer alternative perspectives. Encountering differences encourages us to step outside our own comfort zones and find that, through teamwork, we can thrive. (See episodes 1, 2, 7, and 31.)

Stay organized
With a skill set mostly focussed on the use of magic, Twilight Sparkle found herself feeling utterly useless at the traditionally magic-free Winter Wrap-up. However, by putting herself in a situation where her standard skills did not apply, Twilight Sparkle was able to find that she is also a great facilitator, and all the ponies discovered the importance of organization in large-scale collaborative projects. (See episode 11.)

Offer useful criticism
Designer pony Rarity found out the hard way that trying to please everyone can be the quickest way to spoil a project. When offering input or criticism, it is important to consider the perspectives of others and respect the opinions of subject matter experts – they often know what they are talking about. If you’re going to offer criticism, do so in a way that fully explains your point of view and how it might influence the final product. And while providing input is always valuable, never demand a change just so you feel that you’ve contributed. (See episode 14.)

Be Honest
Very often, we think we are doing the right thing by hiding our true sentiments for the sake of manners or a colleague’s feelings. But in the end, as Rarity and Fluttershy discovered after the latter’s failed foray into fashion modelling, it is best to be honest about your feelings and to speak up if something is making you uncomfortable. And if we find ourselves in the position of unlucky confidante, like Twilight Sparkle, encouraging open communication and honesty is always the best approach to conflict. (See episode 20.)

Embrace Talent
No one can be the best at everything, and sometimes we find ourselves faced with an individual with more talent in a certain area. Like Spike’s encounters with Owlicious, it is easy to feel threatened by a skilled and charismatic new colleague or teammate. But rather than fretting about being replaced, the best thing to do is to learn what you can from this new resource, and take the opportunity to explore and flex your other talents – after all, now you’ve got a teammate to help you out with the routine stuff! (See episode 24.)

Don’t Panic
Even the best employees sometimes need help to meet deadlines. Like Twilight Sparkle, many of us can feel tempted to cut corners or be less than honest about our progress when we’re feeling overwhelmed. But rather than allowing fear and stress to compromise our professional integrity, it is best to communicate clearly throughout the process, and never be afraid to discuss it with your superiors or ask a colleague for help if a deadline seems unreasonable. (See episode 29.)

Be patient
Due to the unusual and often misunderstood nature of the fandom, bronies – like trekkies and LARPers and otaku and Browncoats and, really, most subspecies of geek – are frequent targets of trolling on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet. True to the lessons imparted by their beloved television show, however, the bronies’ response is consistently patient and welcoming, as illustrated by their catchphrase: “I’m gonna love and tolerate the shit outta you.” Inspired partly by Fluttershy’s adorable counter-trolling of the villain Discord, the bronies are so maddeningly nice that, eventually, most trolls just give up and go away. But in the event that you encounter blatant hostility, don’t be afraid to draw the line and report it. Remember, patience is a good method for counter-trolling, but harassment is never okay.

Think creatively
Though he likely did not know that he’d spark a trend of fan-made, pony-themed science education videos, one young brony chose to use the show as the topic of his physics presentation, focussing mostly on its various physical impossibilities. Rather than simply relying on conventional assumptions and proofs to argue that, for example, a falling pony cannot be caught by a cloud of butterflies, Beatledude64 takes it one step further and suggests that “the butterflies could be made of dark matter”. Awesome. Hilarious. Yes.

So there you have it. Now you're all set to hit the office, kick ass and take names... pony style!

Suited and Sauve, by Rautakoura on DeviantArt