What project managers can learn from being broad-sided on their blind sides
Project managers are highly intelligent, very creative, totally imaginative, 100 % sincere, and for those of you who have read Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss, you also know that you are “individually divine.” I did not say religious, I said “individually divine.” I know, without ego or arrogance, that I am. Now, what about you? And what exactly does “individually divine” mean? Ha! You have to read the book. Did you read the 9 books from Tuesday’s MANDATORY reading list? If not, then you have another project to manage, no? Yes. And I have Kimberly to thank for this new awareness of mine. That creates Kimberly as a turning point person in my life and guarantees that she will be one of the Five People That I Will Meet in Heaven. Did you read that book? If not, ADD IT YOUR LIST OF THINGS TO DO TONIGHT !! Of course, you will find that “Heaven is here on Earth”: so sayeth the J Man : but everyone I know is still looking up the SKY for it: and it AIN’T there. Sorry. Read the Sermon on the Mount, by the J Man. Heaven is here on Earth. So sayeth the J Man. Just so you know, Kimberly and I met in February of 2007 at the Douglas Beach House in Miramar, CA ( just north of Half Moon Bay on our San Mateo County Coast ) when she, and I, were each there individually for the Joyce Cooling ( easy-listening jazz guitar ) concert and we shared the same picnic table. I had brought my Complete Works of Shakespeare and she had brought Sacred Contracts. Over a glass of Cabernet, I got told to “read this book: or else.” Or else what? Or else I would go through life stupid and unaware. Ah. I catch on pretty quick..ly. Ah. Perfect English. And you? Are you going through life unaware? Wanna bet?
And now for our case study. You could learn from this mis-adventure not-of-their-making, so keep your head down, take notes, and never, ever look up until training is dismissed. You gotta? ( My Italian friend Dino says “You gotta?” when he really means “Do you understand?” )
So, King Obama and Queen Michelle wake up one morning recently to find that the New Yorker magazine has irreverently satirized them on the cover of their June 21, 2008 edition. And wouldn’t you know it?: An un-funny thing has happened to them on the way to the White House for January, 2009’s inauguration in place of the continued “moronic”* current leadership which is exiting the because they are termed-out ( * the word “moronic” is not of my origin, but was used by a listener-called to a recent radio talk show on KGO Radio AM 810 in San Francisco, and so this adjective is shared with you today and you can apply your own judgment to it ). From Webster’s dictionary, “moronic” is defined as: “of or pertaining to morons”. And “moron” is defined as: “one who is repeatedly stupid in situations of decision-making, making the same decisions over and over again while hoping for a different result.” Interesting: because when you look up the definition of “insanity”, you get the same wording. Anyway, there they are, Michelle on the left as a radical with a gun and Barack on the right in traditional Muslim clothing: and the bigot crowd, who was never going to vote for him anyway, has just had all of their negative stereotypes reinforced. Who cares about the bigot crowd? They are stupid anyway: mostly because they are NASCAR fans. The real problem is that the America public is too stupid to realize that this is satire and will think it is real, and there goes the White House: a faded dream of the dream candidate: John F. Kennedy II for 2008. ( John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the USA 1961: 1963 )
Let us take a closer look. In an article entitled, “Obama cover stirs outrage“, published in The Daily Journal on July 15, 2008 serving San Mateo, Sara Kugler of the Associate Press, writes from a dateline of New York: A satirical New Yorker magazine cover cartoon depicting Barack Obama and his wife as flag-burning, fist-pumping radicals drew outrage from the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign as it appeared on newsstands Monday ( July 14, 2008). The illustration, titled “The Politics of Fear” and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Obama wearing traditional Muslim clothing: sandals, robe and turban: while his wife, Michelle, has an assault rifle slung over one shoulder and is dressed in camouflage and combat boots with her hair in an Afro. A flag burns in a fireplace behind them as they exchange a fist bump, the affectionate greeting they used onstage the night Obama clinched the Democratic nomination. A Fox News anchor later referred to it as a possible “terrorist fist jab.” A portrait of Osama bin Laden hangs above the fireplace.
So what are King Obama and Queen Michelle, as the ultimate project managers of the ultimate presidential election campaign to do? The cartoon, which Obama’s campaign said was “tasteless and offensive”, is not explained inside the magazine. The issue, dated July 21, 2008, also contains a 15,000- word story about Obama’s political education and early years in Chicago. In a statement, the magazine said the cover combines “fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them* for the obvious distortions they are.” Ooooooooooooohhhhhh! Not only satirical: .but snotty. * Now, is the word “them” referring to the images as being distortions OR is the word “them” referring to the Obamas as people and referring to them as “distortions”? The mystery wrapped up as conundrum and gift-wrapped as an enigma continue. What say you? And what effect will this have on the campaign and election ?
So, we ask again, what are King Obama and Queen Michelle, as the ultimate project managers of the ultimate presidential election campaign to do? Well, the project management project that they need to, have to, and must manage NOW is to have fun with it, embrace it, roll in it, roll with it, and be in relationship with it, if, for no other reason, than this cover illustration is not going to go away. Indeed, it will be collector’s item, just like the New Yorker issue that had a cover illustration of President Bush and his inner circle floating up to their elbows in water inside the Oval Office, for an issue published just after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Indeed, the kindly folks at Copy Land in Foster City reported a spike in Obama cover lamination requests just two days ago on Tuesday: starting with MY copy: and rather than stand in line for the new “keep-you-entertained-and-make-you-more-more-stupid” G3 i-Phone, I stood in line at Borders Books in San Mateo for the June 21, 2008 New Yorker. The crowd was the same as a Harry Potter midnight release crowd: only older.And speaking of having fun with it, embracing it, rolling in it and rolling with it, and being in relation-ship with it, this is exactly the type of ZEN that the Tassaharra Monastery folks used to be in relationship to the Big Sur Fire that was about to engulf their Holy Residence. And look at their property now: hardly a scratch compared to their burned-down and burned-out residential neighbors. Anybody listening?
I hope so, if for no other reason than THAT COVER IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY. At least forest fires eventually burn themselves out when there is no more forest to burn. But for the Republican idiots ( Anne Cult-er comes to mind ) who mouth off on Fox TV and CNN, and for the “ditto-heads” that are lemming loyalists to the drug-taking and doctor-shopping verbal vomitter who has the morning show on “hot talk radio” KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco, this cover is a gift of manna directly from the God of the Elephants that will help them make sure that anything that the Donkey deities are cooking up for their August nominating convention will turn into Donkey Road Apples ( the Sanitation Dept crew always follows the San Mateo County Horseman’s Association parade unit of horses in the Redwood City 4th of July parade: and this is good use of taxpayers’ money ). The Republicans are low-roaders and they believe that God is great and ever-providing. The Democrats are high-roaders and they are still glad that we have the First Amendment: and even if they dislike the messenger, they can still embrace the message. The US Constitution is a gift from God. You should read it sometime.
Tomorrow on Friday, we will look at the “ZEN of Project Management“. Join me then. Best wishes.
David M. Katz
National Sales and Business Development Director
Young Einsteins Enterprises!
Sole maker and distributor of the Perfect Number Line and Graph Maker plastic piece tool.
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