‘Orbiting the Giant Hairball’ A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie
Just when you thought everything had been said and done before, you wake up from your corporate lull when you read this wonderfully engaging and inspiring book by MacKenzie. A short book, Orbiting the Giant Hairball follows the career and life of Gordon MacKenzie who spent 30 years of his career working for Hallmark Cards and was a Maverick in too manyways to list.
With so many business books (some brilliant, many repetitious) it was just delightful to read this unique book where MacKenzie offers a refreshing insight into corporate life and how we can all perhaps let loose a little and unleash the creative genius that is within us all. “MacKenzie teaches how to emerge from the giant hair ball – that tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, systems, based on what worked in the past and which can lead to mediocrity in the present.” Most importantly he shows us we can benefit as employees and as individuals in achieving a more satisfying work life, through engaging more creatively at work and taking a few risks!
The entire book is brilliant however I have selected a piece that I think many of us who have worked in larger organizations have or are experiencing. “But if you are hypnotized by an organization’s culture, you become separated from your personal magic and cannot tap it to help achieve the goals of the organizations. In losing connection with your one of a kind magic, you are reduced to nothing more than part of a headcount.” Perhaps this is the reason why so many of us are unsatisfied with our work and why so many are looking to leave their jobs when the economy bounces back.
The book will appeal to anyone who is perhaps feeling a little uninterested at work and who is looking for a lifeline to re-charge themselves, their staff and even their organization. Regardless of your profession, this is a book that will have a wide appeal and hopefully be the catalyst for some changes in your work life.
If I have not convinced you to loan or purchase this book, Fastcompany magazine also has a great article on the book “How Is Your Company Like a Giant Hairball?”
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