DINOSAUR OF THE YEAR-A REMEMBRANCE
by Mike Manes
It was more than a banquet; it was an event-a celebration of a life of power and control. It was the annual Dinosaur of the Year program. The table setting was exquisite, the food exceptional, and pomp and circumstance to be expected. Excitement gripped the air. The emcee began his introduction.
As his comments filled the room, the audience collectively shook their heads. The winner was obvious. The speaker's superlatives could only be describing one individual. The audience waited in polite anticipation as the introduction reinforced what all attendees already knew.
'Tonight, we gather to celebrate leadership and to recognize, not a leader, but rather the leader. This award applauds more than accomplishments: It recognizes dominance-absolute power and superiority. The winner is obvious-so I'll be brief.
'Once in a lifetime, an individual, or shall we say, a force establishes a presence in our world so dominant that it shapes the environment rather than being shaped itself. Tonight's designee is such a character.
'Simply stated, tonight's Dinosaur of the Year is big, and he's bad. He embodies tradition and the status quo. He laughs in the face of change. He crushes his opponents and the conflict they create. He sees diversity for the weakness that it is; he ignores the pop culture and psychobabble that suggest evolution as the way of the future. He is the king of the tar pits!
'He protects Rigid from attacks by Flexibility. This man put the 'patri' in patriarch. He gave status to status quo. He is the Big Daddy! Command and control define his style and his substance. 'Because I said so' and 'If I wanted your ideas, I would have squeezed your head' are probably his greatest contributions to communication textbooks.
'He established the world of top-down management and is committed to defend that system to the death. He will not be overpowered, manipulated, or changed. He's in control. Crushing creativity and communication are his hobbies. His contributions to this world will continue for decades, generations, even millennia. His name is legend.
'Please join me now, as we recognize the Dinosaur of the Year, our friend, leader, and mentor-the man we affectionately call Mr. T.-T. Rex!'
'With the announcement, a deafening roar filled the room. The audience stood and applauded out of respect and fear. It was a special moment.
Fast-forward a couple of million years. Today we recognize that change can't be stopped. Evolution and revolution are forces as natural as gravity-the only certainty is change.
Today we know that T. Rex and creatures like him were the largest and most powerful beings on earth. Their failure to evolve-to adapt and change-caused their demise. Their legacy is the fossil fuel that resulted from their decaying bodies-the energy that drives our new world.
Less ferocious survivors from the ancient past are humans and cockroaches. People have endured because of their intellect, creativity, adaptability, communication skills, and ingenuity. They have the ability to outthink dinosaurs; cockroaches could outmaneuver the beasts. Cockroaches were the first niche marketers-they found the spaces where they could survive and prosper.
Today an evolution-maybe even a revolution-is taking place. We're moving away from a patriarchal system of command, control, and rigidity to a system of innovation, creativity, and change, driven by a global economy, technology, intense competition, and sophisticated consumers.
Aging baby boomers and their children who challenge the status quo and demand options are revolutionizing the world. They demand products and services that are better, cheaper, and faster than they had yesterday. 'New and improved' is a minimum expectation.
Most businesses, organizations, and systems are trying to adapt. For those who are unable to change, the world has already passed them by. Many are still attempting to exercise their power and control to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, they'll soon learn the same painful lesson as T. Rex-that change is inevitable!
Michael Manes can be reached at Square One Consulting, 625 Weeks Street
New Iberia, LA 70560, (337) 577-3885, fax (225) 922-9106, E-mail [email protected], Web site www.squareoneconsulting.com.