AUTHOR S AFTERTHOUGHTS

AUTHOR'S AFTERTHOUGHTS

When I go into a company and start talking about sharks and goldfish at first I get blank stares. There is always someone who thinks I'm weird or have no real understanding of the serious nature of the business environment. But for others, I see the lights come on, faces start smiling, heads start nodding in recognition. Managers know who it is in their company that I am talking about. They have been in the trenches like me, but have not had the permission to be as creative. And that is fine. Managers will be held accountable for the language they use, and must always err on the side of caution. I get to be more outlandish as I help managers reframe their challenges. The fun part for me is when a manager who is a shark sees that I know the difference. They look around nervously in hopes that no one really heard what I said. This amuses me tremendously. The game is on. Often the sharks start distracting the proceedings at this point, and never cease to try to discredit the messenger. Their cold eyes bear down upon me during a workshop and I sense a sudden chill in the air. I recognize their evaluations later. For the first time, many of them are thinking they are not alone in their perceptions. I see the sharks getting darker and going deeper. They may even try a quick feeding frenzy as a distraction. This also amuses me because the goldfish suddenly find they have allies in one another. I encourage them to become fabulously smart goldfish if they have to swim with sharks. I show them my fantasy Shark Suit with the Acme-Shark-Rental patch. I tell them I'm a consultant so I enjoy swimming with sharks even though I am hardwired as a goldfish. I have learned to dive in and out of the shark tank or corporate pool rather quickly before the real sharks see that I have just rented a shark suit for the occasion.

My first interactions with sharks that used the succubae and incubi skills to survive were totally confounding. As a goldfish I was drawn into the warmth of the grooming and seductions and took them seriously. Then, when the hammer came down and they revealed their true intentions to do harm, I had to pull in my goldfish fins before they got caught in very sharp teeth. I have some bite marks, but got out alive . In subsequent years I tried to be an informant. That didn't work due to the covert processes and charisma factors.

Other survivors became my witnesses and helping them find ways to avoid the next danger became some of the best work I have ever done. I find it totally satisfying to help innocent people see that they are not imaging things when they feel as though they are about to be eaten alive. It is incredible to support a goldfish manager in becoming not another shark, but a fabulously intelligent , aware, awake and observant goldfish.

I have also had the dubious and intriguing opportunity to help professional sharks stay on task while not becoming distracted by a feeding frenzy in their company. I have given them permission not to feel guilty for being sharks, but how to not eat goldfish. Some businesses require sharks. Sharks are not inherently bad. Sharks serve a purpose. Sharks in your gold fish tank, however, can be a problem!