I had just walked out of a meeting this morning
(Photo credit: rkramer62)
and was standing talking to some other folks on the team when something with started dripping down my sport coat. Despite it being a warm morning I was very certain it wasn’t sweat. What I was hoping was that it was some excess moisture dripping off a pipe but of course it wasn’t. It was bird poop. Well more specifically I think it was bird pee although frankly it doesn’t much matter.
As I was standing there frantically trying to wipe it off my coat, my compatriots informed me that it was good luck. Apparently in some cultures a bird pooping on you is exactly that. I’m not so sure it is in my culture – more likely it’s 180 degrees from that. In checking out their notion I also found that many people believe this to be a major sign of wealth coming from heaven. Seem to me it’s a sign of an expensive cleaning bill coming. In any event it did trigger a business thought.
Too many businesses spend their time standing under wires hoping bird will poop on them, figuratively speaking. They would almost rather be lucky than good. Rather than looking for wires filled with birds, they’d be way better off spending time looking at analytics, social mentions, and their own financial statements. Spending money on bird seed trying to attract the birds and the luck they bring is probably not as worthwhile as spending it on an all hands on deck brainstorm. You know the ones – where no idea is a bad one and outrageous thinking is encouraged.
I’ll let you all know if some great piece of luck follows – there wasn’t a large check in the mail today however. In the meantime, remember what Hemingway told his son – you make your own luck. Good business advice – and much cleaner than depending on the birds!
They were a late 1990’s phenomenon – digital handheld pets. The owner had to care for them on a daily – maybe even hourly – basis or they’d die. Not a fun experience for either the owner (generally a child) or the parent.
Consult Keith 