orbit

Creativity in Business Perspectives & Insights

Once I started, I could not put down "Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace." I have read many other business books that talk about surviving within a corporation but this is the first that spoke about surviving outside of one! I found Gordon's insight on the "Pyramid and the Plum Tree" to be the most refreshing piece of business thought I have read in quite some time. Why should not those that need to interact with the customers have the best view? I completely agree. Unintentionally or intentionally, it seems that many large corporations seem to make it their goal to squeeze the creative and innovative spirit right out of their people. Even Hallmark, who prides itself on having one of the largest creative staffs, has problems as noted in the book. This should sound an alarm to all CEOs. Whether it be Hallmark, Pepsi or Gillette, all corporate leaders should read this book to see how difficult it really is to orbit the hairball.

I think that MacKenzie's book, Orbiting the Giant Hairball, should be required reading for anyone who has become disillusioned with Corporate America. MacKenzie offers some useful advice on how to find your own path in the midst of the rhetoric which is in place in most work environments today. I was very surprised at how many examples of the "Hairball" described by MacKenzie that I was able to identify within my own job. I truly hope I can use some of the suggestions in the book in my career.

I enjoyed the book. I found myself thoroughly enjoying it in a few spots, very puzzled in a few others, but most of the time just reading with a happy curiosity of Gordon's next move. There were a few spots that I really enjoyed that I still think about a month after reading it. They are the following:

p. 191 - "Orville Wright did not have a pilot's license". This line is terrific. It challenges you to set goals outside of your normal self-imposed boundaries. There is nothing stopping anyone from developing skills that they wish to. This philosophy is clearly reinforced with the eloquent last quote on p.224.

p. 186 - His disguise speech when he shaved and changed clothes in front of the audience to introduce a special guest speaker and everyone in the audience still turned around to look for the speaker. One of Gordon's special talents is his ability to turn things upside down for even the most cynical participants in his seminars.

I found the chicken story on p.52 very amusing and I would like to witness the moment of being mesmerized myself. In general, I found Gordon to be a very sensory driven man. He seemed to draw his best insight when he was touching, smelling, or tasting something. I would have like to read about more of the things he actually contributed to. There were a number of times when I seriously questioned what the hell did he do all day, especially near the end as the Creative Paradox Man. He seemed to be getting paid to listen, much as a psychologist would do. Also, during those yellow pages he was clearly into the pharmaceuticals.

Gordon has opened my eyes, and I am thankful for that.

Based on my recommendation, two co-workers have purchased the book. I am expecting my commission check any day now.

Overall the book lacks the content and direction of a "management style" book. They count every page cover to cover to get over 200 pages. The book is really a pamphlet and hardly justifies the $22 price tag. Now that I have gotten some of the negative comments out of the way, I really enjoyed reading the book. He had me as soon as I read the "What happened to all the artists?" in school comment. Throughout the book there were several similar stories, but he really made the point by the then. Overall the ideas were very good, but as far as cost/content or benefit the ratio is really low. I am not equating the qty of pages with benefit, but I was disappointed that I could have learned more from him. There must have been more stories or other lessons to share from his 30yrs at Hallmark.

In the section regarding the purchasing of milk cans and going through the purchasing department, a great lesson was brought up. "Any time a bureaucrat (i.e., a custodian of a system) stands between you and something you need or want, your challenge is to help that bureaucrat discover a means, harmonious with the system, to meet your need." By being creative, his associate avoided being the victim of the "hairball" and found a way for both sides to feel like they had won. This turned a negative situation into a positive one instead of just returning the negativity (which does not usually encourage people to act).

In the section on the pool hall dog, it mentions how to be fully free to create. This really fits into innovation as oppose to enhancements. By forgetting past strategies and biases, a person can really think beyond merely extending the current product or idea and instead come up with something entirely new.

The first is one of his chapter with only 1 sentence : "Orville Wright did not have a pilot's license" which to me summarize very well the necessary jump to get in creativity.

The other one is how Gordon MacKenzie show very well how we all look with envy to creativity's result but generally mistrust the act of creativity in itself.

In general I really enjoyed this book as being easy to read and challenging the idea that creativity doesn't have to be all eccentricity but can't be confined in the norms of the usual corporate environment : in one word creativity is a question of equilibrium.

In class we have discussed the problems encountered in an organization when a "new" idea is presented, but we have left out the individual. I think this book proves that an individual's nonconformity is what initiates creativity. A creative individual will find a way to promote his/her idea in an organization, but he/she needs to be creative on their own. Only a confident individual can push an idea around until it is accepted. When Gordon MacKenzie was asked to give the same presentation more than once he realized it did not have the same result the second time. His lack of conformity with the results was what drove him to adjust the presentation from one time to another. Every idea has its fire at the beginning, but keeping the fire burning is what it is all about. The most important part of creativity is the individual and like Gordon MacKenzie wrote, "Each individual has his/her own Masterpiece to Paint."

First I, like most people who work in a large company, can relate to the giant hairball. It is natural to try to find someplace within the hairball where you feel comfortable. The book opened my mind to the idea of orbiting the hairball. We are tied to the hairball whether we like it or not, like the waterskier example in the book. But, we do not need to get dragged through the reeds. If we can become better skiers, we can avoid the reeds and create new paths, while still following the direction of the organization. The challenge is to find ways to orbit the hairball. In one section of the book the author says to "think of any organization you're a part of as a unique medium in which you have the opportunity to create." Each organization is different, with different rules and cultures, and you must find creative ways to work in that environment.

There are so many concepts in the book that I could relate to, one in particular is the "Thou shalt not have it easy" section. This is something that we do to ourselves, work to hard, take on to much, instead of finding ways unlock our genius and excel.

My initial reaction to "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" was that it would be banal and not very useful. I was intrigued by the first couple of chapters and it was good that Mr. MacKenzie explained the "hairball" analogy early on. From that point on I found a connection with his ideas and began to understand exactly what his point of view is on creativity in the workplace. I was surprised at his show of courage (stupidity?) at some of the stunts he pulled with his manager and I was also emboldened by his struggle to keep being creative. It seemed as though he would not be suppressed and kept promoting his true nature as though to do otherwise would be to let himself be slowly bled to death.

I know I have had my creative edge stifled and suppresed by my enslavement to the corporation's mundane, don't-make-waves-by-being-different attitude. I feel the need to rip off the tie, throw open the window, jump outside, take off the shoes and socks and run in the green grass under the big blue sky. Instead I work in a dull, dreary, cubicle-grey, windowless environment that I realize more now than ever how much it represents top management's mentality on running the company. Every worker comes in the door in the morning and places their tight plastic bag over their heads limiting the oxygen that would feed their creative lungs. And yet every manager in every department wants new and fresh award-winning solutions to everyday problems we all face. Mr. MacKenzie's book showed me that creativity needs identification and recognition as a viable tool to be actively nurtured and encouraged in business. That encouragement also needs to come from the very top.

One of my first impressions of the book as a whole is how similar Hallmark is to General Motors. And MacKenzie's supposition seems to be that all large organizations are set up to basically stifle creativity. The thought that sticks with me the most is the concept of the pyramid versus the plum tree. The first few pages were confusing with respect to where MacKenzie was headed. Then it became crytsal clear as I realized how much like the pyramid GM is--just last year in the sales organization we had 22 levels of management. My job on the front line often makes me feel like the most important part of the organization (the top of the plum tree). The frustrating thing is that those days are few and far between, mostly because other people in the company think the same way.

A second notion comes from when he was asked to run the creativity workshops and the first one was extremely successful. Then he realized that the subsequent sessions were less impacted simply because he was "pulling the file out of the drawer," rather than making each session different. Again, there are a lot of similarities here with respect to many ways in which GM runs its business.

These concepts have made me think about the job and how to improve it. It has also allowed me to keep a more open mind toward the impending re-organization of our field force. Hopefully, we'll be able to move farther from the pyramid structure and closer to the plum tree.

I was attending a global sales meeting in Munich, Germany. One evening early in my trip while enjoying a nice dinner with my colleagues, I brought up the idea of "Orbiting" and likened some of our internal problems as being a "Hairball". This concept was soon adopted as our meeting theme and for the rest of our time together I had people from all over the world declaring people as "Orbiting" when new and creative ideas came up. This really encouraged otherwise conservative people to take chances and suggest concepts they probably would not have likely shared. Orbiting, I felt at first, was a questionable book to assign for a class, but now, I think I might refer to it more that many other books I'll come across on the way to graduating in June 2000.

I enjoyed the book very much! It was so interesting to think about Abbott and my position within in relation to orbiting the giant hairball. Although, they sounded funny at first, MacKensie's ideas really make sense to me once I put them up against my organization. Since reading this book, I have examined my organization in a different light. I think everyone in an organization should read this book so that they see how they fit in to the whole big picture.

This book offered a unique look at the way a business could be operated in a creative environment. It demonstrates that work is what you make it and with the support of others that believe, you can be more productive in a happier work place. Gordon offers a lot of insight to reflect on our own personal situations to identify how we can make improvements in our personal and professional lives. I can appreciate his analogies of orbiting versus being in the hairball of the corporate culture. Gordon's approach to creative thinking used in the various classes he presented really opened my mind on how to look at things a little differently and get out of the box. It is important to note that even in these special work environments created at Hallmark there was still the structure of producing positive results to meet the corporate goals. Finally the support you give others at work/home, as demonstrate in Gordon's last position at Hallmark, is invaluable in fostering good ideas and a positive work environment. I really enjoyed reading this book and hope to use some this insight to improve my personal approach to my job as well as in the environment I work.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball predominately consists of experiences that Gordon MacKenzie had while working at Hallmark Cards. His stories are written in an entertaining manner and focus on how society and corporate cultures expect a certain level of behavior. In learning this "normal" behavior, people tend to loose their natural imagination and creativity they had when they were children. Gordon takes the approach of avoiding standard corporate behavior by utilizing his creative nature. For example, in his "A conference Of Angels" chapter he conducts a seminar with salespeople by utilization meditation techniques such as candlelight and cymbals to spur enthusiasm and creativity. He avoids the typical corporate normalcy of using the overhead projector for his presentation. He acknowledges the necessity of corporate rules, but stretches them and replaces "normal" behavior with original thinking. I enjoyed reading his short stories and found his approach insightful.

I found the Hairball to be very interesting. There were some areas where I found myself asking is this guy for real, but for the most part his stories were of value. The format of the book was also very good. Most management and creativity text books I have come across have been the standard linear text. The Hairball obviously is not.

The thing that struck me about the book is that it's a state of mind book. I didn't learn much from it, but it put me in a state of mind. This would be something to read the night before you were about to develop a new plan or project. It gives a feeling that questions and threatens the status quo.

I had read this book in the first week of class and here are some of my favorite observations/ take-aways:

page 19-20 " with age our self consciousness increase" example of children raising hands. "Genius is an innocent casualty in society's effort to train children away from natural born foolishness"

Page 23 " Society is threatened by raw creative genius...pressure is on from cradle to grave... to be normal"

" As a child & as adult we want some credible person to validate our raw genius and how society destroys it"

Page 33 How creativity can be responsible "to find orbit around a corporate hairball... and still make it with creativity intact"

p39 "why tangential thinking is the first step of going into orbit" p47 "orbiting is following your bliss"

p53 " Each one of us are unique and powerful...do not give up"

p64" Interesting concept of creativity, visible vs. invisible activities" example was the miracle of cow turning grass into milk.

p80 " It takes courage to admit that you are stuck"... be courageous.

p89 " why non linear thinking is important for an organization and wanting to be creative"

p113 " How to unfathom the potential of whole mind and utilizing transitional thinking"

p118 mandatory forced fed "fun" does not work.

p123 Reconsider teasing others...

p128-129 "monomania of cold blooded competitive correctness... also why perfect is not real" Do we care for real in the business world???

p134 " Most organizations are run by volume and some on time, quality ..may have differing importance"

p139 " How to deal with a bureaucrat...and get results... how true!

p159 Our tendency to say " Fine , just fine. Everything is under control"

p163 3rd paragraph about models and how we can blinded by them...important observations... I have seen this happen.

p188 " I disagree with authors example of not to change the hairballs...for original work experience"

p191 " Oliver Wright did not have a pilot license"

p195-197 " How creativity vanishes as you become conscious of it...

p210 Concept of compassionate emptiness how true!

p211" How we need both dynamic leadership as well as dynamic following for real energy in an organization"

p216 " if we do not let go we make prisoners of ourselves" how true!

P218-224 Entire chapter of "Painting the masterpiece is very beautiful and true" and timeless advise of painting ones own masterpiece---unique can only be done by you"... how true!

I could really work for Gordon MacKenzie. I like his refreshing wholesomeness, down to earth and sometimes frivolous attitude. I also like the fact that he is human and has weaknesses like all of us do. I especially like it when he fell prey to the Corporate Ambition Bug, he had to buy a suit and then act like a jerk and alienate the artist who work for him. I can really identify with this situation. I face the same situation at work. Business can be ruthless if you want to succeed. Sometimes at the end of the day I wonder if I could have been more productive by delegating responsibility in a more civil, timely or just plain fun manner.

Management is driven by the almighty profitability quotient. It's a black/white world as far as their concerned, profit or loss. Of course I think I only have myself to blame in this assessment since I am demanding this from corporate America through my stockholdings. Why do I feel like I am chasing my tail?

It's nice to see the levity and frivolity this author has spoke of. It's even showcased in the way the book is laid out with colorful displays, cartoons and the like.

This will not be a book I return!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gordon MacKenzie. It was very fun to read and had great visuals. I could really identify with a lot of the topics and situations that Gordon discussed. I especially liked the chapters, "About Teasing" and "Death Masks". I never thought about teasing that way before, but now I really try to watch what I say. He hit the mark right on when he said it is all about control and that teasing causes a death by a thousand cuts. The chapter on Death Masks made me laugh. He had some great insight about corporate zits in his presentation, but it was the fact that he never had to do one again that made me laugh. I sure wish I could get away with that!

Gordon brought out some intriguing points that are obvious once you read them and realize that those things are happening right before your eyes. Some specifics on that:

1." Where have all the geniuses gone?" Amazingly true that we were drowned upon by elders, that creativity was only for artists. What society fails to realize, and you mentioned this on the first day, is that there are all types of creativity and each person is creative in a different way; creativity does not equal artistry. This is not taught and realizing this, as Gordon says, is "beginning the Orbit."

2. "About Teasing" Happens ALL THE TIME. After reading this section, I now better understand co-workers motivation behind their teasing and their "can't you take a joke" attitude. Rather than escalate the war with teasing back, it's easier to let it go and rise above it once we understand the reasons behind the teasing. I see this at work constantly.

3. The overall "Hairball" concept. Organizations have a necessary Hairball component which I think is critical to long-term success. Too much anarchy and the kingdom collapses. The key may be for individuals and departments to take orbit around their mini-hairballs often enough to keep processes and ideas constantly flowing and working towards doing things better and different. With the internal organization (hairball) in place, other individuals can then orbit around that hairball and keep the giant hairball moving forward. A hairball is essential for today's success; orbiting around the hairball is essential for tomorrow's success.

I liked the examples he gave and how he tied them it to related topics. My favorite was when he was stuck on the cliff in San Diego. He was debating to whether or not to drop down to the beach. He said don't be afraid to ask for help. It just the one story that stuck out (that one and the creative paradox position).

Once I started, I could not put down *Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool*s Guide to Surviving with Grace.* I have read many other business books that talk about surviving within a corporation but this is the first that spoke about surviving outside of one! I found Gordon*s insight on the *Pyramid and the Plum Tree* to be the most refreshing piece of business thought I have read in quite some time. Why should not those that need to interact with the customers have the best view? I completely agree. Unintentionally or intentionally, it seems that many large corporations seem to make it their goal to squeeze the creative and innovative spirit right out of their people. Even Hallmark, who prides itself on having one of the largest creative staffs, has problems as noted in the book. This should sound an alarm to all CEOs. Whether it be Hallmark, Pepsi or Gillette, all corporate leaders should read this book to see how difficult it really is to orbit the hairball.

I thought this book was really interesting how he could take any situation he encountered and turned it into a lesson on innovation or creativity. I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled "Death Masks". For the past three years, I've sat through numerous staff meetings (i.e. focus groups, pre and post audit meetings, quarterly department meetings and quarterly group meetings) and nothing every changes. We seek to keep going through the motion year after year. It just amazes me that no one wants to deviate from our "hairball". No one comes up with a different way to run meetings. I think we have a lot of talented individuals within the department but these traits are never recognized or acknowledged. There is always an underlying purpose to hold these meetings, but no one ever seems to be looking into the future on what we could be doing differently three years from now. Every meeting or gathering we have at NFA just goes through the "standard" meeting procedures which is similar to MacKenzie's statement "...everyone has a mask on."

Unfortunately, my department does not have a lot of room for creativity since we regulate the futures industry and must ensure our members are following the rules and regulations. Therefore, we have a specific task in order to adhere to our mission of "providing innovative regulatory programs and services that ensure futures integrity, protect market participants and help our members meet their regulatory responsibilities".

I really enjoyed this book because as I build my career and gain more experience, I will be more conscious of incorporating creativity in whatever I do.