NonsenseAtWork

It seems to me that March Madness is more than a March affair. Star performers are idolized every month, every week, every day, whether in sport, business, politics or the local sandbox. Madness indeed.

Once again, we have a cloud full of so-called experts raining down their unasked-for wisdom.

Once upon a time I thought it would be fun to....

I lie. I thought it would be lucrative to jump on the success coach wagon. You know which wagon I mean. The one carting around those Steps to Success.

Lucky for me, and maybe you, I remembered nonsense. And that nonsense is always at work. Specifically, I remembered that what is nonsense to me might be sense to you. And vice versa. 

Meaning? That what I see as success might not be what you see as success. Thus, my steps to success might be your steps to failure.

And so I did not jump. I watched that wagon roll by, again and again, on its seemingly endless circular journey. But although I did not join the wagon train, I cannot help but give bits of random advice. Like the one below. (Please forgive me.)

Once again there is much scaremongering about the economy, some of it valid, most of it inflated. This happens when we focus on the mechanisms of the economy while we ignore the purpose of an economy.

The same applies to capitalism and to business. We too often value processes over purpose.

It's almost like raving about the features of a car out of context of its purpose, namely simply to get you from here to there. Features might be nice, benefits add value, but only purpose really matters.

Let's ponder how meeting interruptions have evolved. Ready? In the beginning, only the boss' secretary had the power to interrupt a meeting. Next came tone-deaf bosses who ignored cell phone ringtones, followed by boundaryless bosses who partook when fast food aromas overwhelmed the business agenda.

And today, what have we? Cute kittens? Pawing puppies? Potty tots? Sulking spouses? Another package delivery? In fact, almost anything may pause a meeting.

Which is just another reason I miss those disciplined and disciplinarian gatekeepers. They knew how to keep the boss in line, focused, and performing to the benefit of us all.

When you suddenly face Goliath, what does your gut say? Big is best! 

Here is a little known fact about me. I am working on my second million. That’s right, my second million. My first million was a complete disaster.

Once upon a time there lived a man called Albert Einstein. We revered him then and we revere him today. But we sure as hell don't heed him the way we should. For example, he once said that "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Or words to that effect.

And yet, here we are, acting as if yesterday's behavior will save us today. We have yet to learn that to understand new things, we must remember to forget.

Remember that line in the sand you used to draw as a kid? "Step over this line and I'll biff you." And if the other kid was bigger...

This is a true story about greener grass somewhere. But how do you know the grass is truly greener on the other side?