Circle Your Wagons

Today, let's consider the term circle the wagons. A great way to show your loyalty to a group of people is to protect them. One way to do that is to circle the wagons. “Circle the wagons” or “circle your wagons” means that members of a team or group must work together to protect themselves from some outside danger. Generally, they prepare for a possible attack. During the 1800s, many settlers traveled west from the East Coast in covered, horse-drawn wagons. At night, or when threatened during the day, the wagons would stop moving. They would keep their cattle and other animals within the circle. Although “circle the wagons” was first used in the 19th century, don't let it stop you from using it today. Circling your wagons means you are in a defensive position. Now, if circling your wagons is a way of protecting your group, then a circular firing squad is just the opposite. A firing squad is one way to carry out an execution. In the military, soldiers form a straight line as they prepare to fire at the prisoner. So, a “circular firing squad” is a group that comes together to fight a common enemy or opponent. But in the end, disputes among the group's own members do more damage than the enemy. Americans often use this expression when talking about politics. A political party is rarely able to get all of its members to agree on every issue. And when they disagree on big issues, they can sometimes fight amongst themselves. Some other terms for a circular firing squad are “self-destructive internal conflicts” and “mutual recriminations.” “Mutual” describes something that two or more groups or people share or have in common. For example, mutual respect is when people respect each other. A “recrimination” is an angry statement in which you accuse or criticize a person who has accused or criticized you. Children on the playground often use recriminations. “No, I'm not! Now, let's hear these expressions being used in a short conversation. Well, the meeting at work today was … interesting. That's one way to describe it. I call it … brutal. As soon as the chief said “budget cuts,” people started circling their wagons. If there is going to be less money, she might cancel some projects. So, everyone wants to protect their people and their projects. But we have to remember that we're all working for the same business. Our bigger goal as a company is the same. We don't want to turn into a circular firing squad. Internal disputes are an easy way to destroy the company. And that is exactly what our competition wants. Hopefully, in work and in life, you circle your wagon more often than get involved in a circular firing squad. I'm Jonathan Evans …