February
26, 2007
Moving
Cheese With the Corporate Book Club
It started
out as an ordinary day. I had four cups of coffee, pretended to read
three memos and agreed to a meeting I figured I would need to wait two
hours before canceling. It’s good to be the boss.
Or it was.
Before Shermley spotted me peering out of my office.
“D.F.! I’ve
been looking for you!”
“Shermley,
I haven’t forgotten your request that I let you move into Bouvier’s old
office. I’m really, really thinking about it.”
“No, D.F. I
wanted to invite you to join our Corporate Book Club!”
Egad. The
Corporate Book Club? This can’t be good. Did I dare ask?
“What, pray
tell, is the Corporate Book Club?”
“That’s
where we all read and discuss the books that teach us how to succeed at
business, D.F. Today we discussed Who Moved My Cheese? Have you
read Who Moved My Cheese? It’s just so right on. It’s about this
mouse . . . ”
Well. So my
employees are not only sitting around reading books instead of working,
but they’re also spending time discussing the books.
“What else
has the club been reading?”
“Have you
read The Purple Cow? It’s about how every company has to do
something with pizzazz to get people’s attention! Are we a purple cow,
D.F.? Or are we just a brown one?”
If we’re a
cow, I want some steak.
Business
books have their place. Granted, that tends to be in the restroom. But I
suppose if you want to read how to go from good to great, become a
one-minute manager, move someone’s cheese and ready set sell, it’s
better than reading porn on company time. In a spirited race.
But
business books are safest when used by people who actually know how to
think for themselves. Then they can be good discussion starters and
thought provokers. When they get scary is when a person with no
confidence in his or her own thoughts starts reading the business book
of the week.
My favorite
was the CEO of a translation company who paid a marketing firm thousands
of dollars to develop a marketing strategy. I don’t know if it was the
greatest strategy ever developed, but since she paid good money for it
to be drawn up, you might think she would actually, you know, use it?
Not after
being stranded in an airport for a couple of hours and reading
Guerilla Marketing. There was your new plan! Until the next book she
read . . .
“So what do
you say, D.F.? Do you want to join the Corporate Book Club?”
I hated to
disappoint Shermley. It’s sort of like disappointing your dog when he
brings you your shoes. Then again, he did slobber all over them.
“Shermley,
who else is in the Corporate Book Club?”
“Me,
Bloshomes, Greezey and Leskowitz. We’re really learning a lot! Next week
we’re going “All Covey All The Time.”
“Know what,
Shermley? I hate to impede upon your learning, but I just remembered a
project I have for you, Bloshomes, Greezey and Leskowitz. I’m afraid
it’s going to take all your time – all four of you – for weeks on end.”
“Really,
D.F.? Are we moving someone’s cheese? Are we one-minute managing?”
“Actually,
I wanted the four of you to do a project called account management.”
“But that’s
not a project. That’s our regular job!”
Kid catches
on fast. Must have been reading some good books.
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