This is excellent. Here is someone celebrating, not making fun on, last place finishes at the Winter Olympics.
Its not all about the short head. If we could internalise some of this thinking, then the true spirit of the Olympics might just make a return. Its not just about how many medals “we” won today. What about the interesting stories of getting there, competing, and just doing the best you could… even if it meant coming last…
Technology decision makers take note- your supplier may well be a winner, even if they didn’t win bronze, silver or gold at the magic quadrant olympics.
Anyhow thanks Jonathan for helping me rethink the Olympics and the business of gold, silver, bronze. The margins are tiny – you can be winning and then fall on your ass. Does that make a poor snowboarder? Of course not.
(hat tip Gary Potter)
Adrian Trenholm says:
March 2, 2006 at 1:40 pm
The last cyclist on the Tour de France each day is called the “lanterne rouge” (the red light), and it is considered an honourable place to be. Generally the lanterne rouge is struggling (illness, injury, bad luck) but hangs on in there. He always gets an extra cheer for his persistence.
I will leave you to make the tehcnology decision maker analogy.