Moby Dick

I was going to write about analytics this morning but I think we’ll save that for later this week (I can hear you all marking your calendars…). Instead, I see that today is the anniversary of the US release of Moby Dick 160 years ago. I’m sure some of you think it’s been making students miserable ever since.

Image via Wikipedia

I have two thoughts – the first is that I find it odd that one of the great American novels was released in London a month before it came out in the US and the bad English reviews drove a harsh reception at home; the second is that it really is a business book in so many ways. Why?

I majored in American Literature so I’ve always had a soft spot for Melville’s tale.  While the epic and the questions it raises about good and evil, status, religion, and where we fit in the universe are important and dealt with brilliantly, they’re not the heart of the matter from a business perspective.  Instead, Ahab’s obsessive behavior as well as his projection of his own flaws onto the whale teach business lessons.

Ahab’s focus (OK, it’s monomania) on achieving an identifiable goal (kill the whale) is something from which we can all learn.  After all, leaders such as Steve Jobs are nothing if not obsessive, right?  However, Ahab’s wanting to do so for all the wrong reasons (revenge, not for food or oil) show us that we need to maintain perspective as we go about achieving success.  It can’t be at the expense of customers, partners, or employees.  It’s also important to note that just as The Whale means very different things to each of the novel’s characters, business goals are different for each of us, even those within the same enterprise.  You might have picked up coffee this morning from Starbuck’s.  Hopefully you’re aware of the Starbuck character from this novel and that he was alone in standing up to Ahab’s quest as the madness it was.

What whale are you chasing?  Are you doing so as Ahab or Starbuck?