There was a lot of colourful advertising industry jargon and stories that we used back in the day. They may seem quaint by todays standards. They were used as euphemisms which hedge direct comments and soften criticism. Here are some examples, as I remember them:
Not sure if it is a good idea:
Aren’t we trying to move the church from the middle of the town.
Put it out on the back porch and see if the cat licks it up.
Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.
What we have here is the blind man’s elephant.
You can’t read the label from inside the jar.
Team work:
We should all be in the same boat pulling on the same oars.
We went into the meeting saying no one should take a dive… and yet the smell of chlorine was in the air.
Consider the Two Kinds of People
It is often said that there are two kinds of people in the world. Those that say yes; those that say no.
There are two kinds of people in the world, those that divide people into two groups and the others.
I like saying there are three kinds of people in the world. Those who can count and those who can’t.
Consider the purchase of a load of bread
You can tell everything about a person by the way they buy bread. Nearly everyone has some bread at home when they buy the new bread.
When you buy the new bread, do you immediately eat the new loaf – or do you finish the old loaf first. That’s the difference between the grasshoppers and the ants.
The grasshoppers eat the new bread because it is fresh and delicious – at the maximum level of flavour and taste. They want to enjoy it at its best.
The ants are more concerned with the availability of the bread than the flavour and they will finish the older bread first. They are willing to give up a little to get more.
Then there are the folks who make French toast or stuffing with the staler bread. They are practical and inventive.
Consider the Kind of People You Deal With
At the entry of an old medieval walled town, there is a blind beggar sitting beside the gate to the town as people go past him coming and going about their business. A man enters through the gate, looks around and walks up to the beggar.
“Hello. Can you help me? I am moving to this town. What kind of people live here?” he asks.
“Let me answer your question with a question… What are the people like in your town?” says the beggar.
“Well,” says the man, “that’s my problem. The people are all very nice, trustworthy and helpful. They are pleasant and courteous and always willing to lend a hand. When we move here, we are going to miss them and the way they support each other.”
“Ahh,” says the beggar, “I have some good news for you. You will find the people in this town are very much the same.”
The next day, at the same place the same blind beggar sits. A man enters through the gate and walks up to the beggar.
“Hello. Can you help me? II am moving to this town. What kind of people live here?” the newcomer asks.
“Let me answer your question with a question… What are the people like in your town?” says the beggar.
“Well,” says the man, “I am going to be happy to be rid of them. Those people are never very nice or helpful. They never have a good word to say. They complain endlessly about everything. They are always looking for an advantage and always out for themselves. You can’t trust any of them.”
“Ahh,” says the beggar, “then, I have some very bad news for you.”
Consider Eating Bacon and Eggs
When you prepare bacon and eggs for breakfast, it is like any other project. The chicken is involved. And, it can walk away any time afterwards.
The pig on the other hand is committed. It has no remaining options.
It is like that with many projects, people are either somewhat involved or totally committed.
The whole game in business is to turn people into pigs. Get them committed to a project or idea.
If they are only chickens, they can walk away at any time and leave you in the lurch. The chickens may get to lay an egg another day.
If you liked these, there is another longer one as an appendix in Overcome AD-versity.
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