Random interesting read

I picked up on this article today.  It's all about how Obama is using a car driven into a ditch and having to be pulled out as a metaphor for the US economy and the difference between the Republicans and Democrats approach to fixing things.  In sum:

“And yet, after driving our economy into the ditch, they decided to stand on the side of the road and watch us while we pulled it out of the ditch,” Obama said at the Los Angeles event for Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. “They asked, ‘Why haven't you pulled it out fast enough?’ ‘I noticed there's, like, a little scratch there in the fender. Why didn't you do something about that?’”

I thought the analogy thing was clever and it reminded me that when working with Igor he was BIG on this. In one project we started with the equivalent of a virtual foot race (to encourage folks to adopt a new online tool - ummm which doesn't even come close to explaining just how big and painful that process was.....it was also the project where I cut my teeth and, honestly, secured my reputation at Cisco - no pain no gain).  Anyway every week we would gather in an open space and project a race track onto a wall and have guys and girls in suits running along the track while someone commentated the adoption numbers (not unlike a horse race).....it was seriously very funny to be part of, with people clapping and cheering, totally outside the box.  He/we then morphed that into a weighlifting event, again live, with folks representing different continents and pretending to lift weights as sales scores were read out.  These days he's "climbing mountains".  It's become the thing he is known for and we helped drive it.  It was all so non-corporate that you couldn't help but get caught up in the craziness of it all!

Current role doesn't offer up quite the same level of creativity (yet) but I have been involved in some very interesting business development work, coming up with new ideas to deliver services.  I really like being part of pitching for new business, thinking about how you can present an idea to get buy in and then actually selling it in.  This is new for me, I hadn't realized how much I like it and that there are parts of it I am quite good at.....and so much more I have to learn to be exceptional at it.  I think it's because it has an edge of unconventional and creative about it.....there's no precise process to be followed (it's still not my way to revel in process I have to say, even as I diligently execute against it I am forever driven to look for things outside the square).