Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Miss Red

Friend and fellow blogger Miss Red has an interesting post on the subject of decision-making and its consequences.

I can relate to this. At the agency where I work, the perennial failure to make tough (but necessary) decisions has left our new, Obama-appointed political leadership an opening to hire consultants to create a "strategic vision". I read a portion of the consultants' work and found it highly amusing. The person who coined the phrase "multifunctional choreography" to describe a proposed change in our structure and operations was obviously somebody who had trouble expressing his ideas clearly - assuming he had any to begin with.

11 comments:

mojo said...

"...and KICK two three four..."

Minicapt said...

He probably meant 'cluster funk'?

Cheers

kc said...

Or 'fuster clunk.'

JeffS said...

I recall one senior executive who made a really bizarre statement.

We were in the midst of a "reorganization" (it mostly smoke and mirrors), when a friend of mine noticed that every single organization chart being presented at a meeting had circles and ovals, instead of the typical rectangles.

When asked about this minor change, the senior executive answered, "Circles are friendlier than squares."

Paco said...

Jeff: Hey! Come to think of it, the Power Point slide show I saw was all circles and ovals, too!

Yojimbo said...

Circles are so warm and fuzzy. Everyone comes together in a circle. Circles are like,like capable of nuance and change and stuff.

Squares are so warlike because they, you knowm,they have those sharp edges and stuff. They are so Republican. Dick Cheney like,like hunts with squares.

Circles are so consensus building.
Squares are hegemonistic.



Circles are like,like sustainable energy.
Squares are so carbon, so Bush.

Paco said...

You're right, Yojimbo. At Waterloo, Napoleon's cavalry charged Wellington's sqaures, not his ovals.

Paco said...

"Squares", rather.

Yojimbo said...

That's why they only fed him Spaghetti O's on Elba.

"And now you know....the rest of the story.":)

Circles are so John Denver.
Squares are so Ted Nugent.
Circles are like herbal remedies.
Squares are so Viagra and beta blockers.

a most peculiar nature said...

I was once admonished for using the color red in an e-mail to emphasize a point. I was told that red is an "angry color", LOL.

At least all of my words were spelled correctly. I can't say that for many of the e-mails I have forced to endure.

TimT said...

"Circles are friendlier than squares."

Well I know a chap who'd like to say one or two things to your senior executive, Jeff!