Working in Wonderland

I love reading so I couldn't resist Brad Shorr's group writing project: "What's Your Favourite Business Book?" (notwithstanding that I don't really have the time right now for another of these questions - but you know how it is once your unconscious mind starts working on the answer...)

My chosen book is Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland." I guess it's a suggestion that won't often appear on the shelves marked "business thinking" - but it was a great help to me at a difficult time in my career.  It was a point when I was struggling to make sense of my way too busy, stressful career in a very large public service organisation where things often seemed more than a little crazy if not back to front or even upside down.

So how did the book help me?

1. It helped me to realise that some things about large organisations just were plain perplexing.  There wasn't much point worrying about it.  You just had to get on with it. Well that's how I read the advice from the Cheshire Cat anyway.

" 'But I don't want to go among mad people,' said Alice.  'Oh, you can't help that,' said the cat.  'We're all mad here.'"

2. It helped me to stop worrying about the rules that we were supposed to follow.  It wouldn't have been humanly (or inhumanly) possible to comply with them all.  You just had to get on with it - and apply dollops of common sense.  I can't remember which character gives Alice this piece of advice but it always make me smile when I find myself getting hung up on lists of things I 'should' do.  (The last point is particularly important don't you think?)

"'Speak in French when you can't think of English for a thing, turn out your toes when you walk and remember who you are!"

3. You just can't keep a straight face when you're reading Alice.  So the book helped me to smile through otherwise dark days.  It reminded - reminds me - to lighten up.  Who wouldn't with great advice like this?

"'Begin at the beginning,' the King said, very gravely, 'and go on till  you come to the end: then stop."

I'm sure there are lots of serious and important business strategy books that I should have been reading so I look forward to reading people's suggestions at Brad's site (or hearing yours here, of course.)  If you want to play, the questions are very simple, just identify:

1. (Of course) the name of the book and author.
2. When you read it.
3. The one, two, or three big ideas you got of it.
4. How it made a difference in your career.

Comments

[Brad Shorr]

Hi Joanna, Great post! Somehow I missed this, but it will be on my next update. I love Lewis Carroll, but never thought about "Alice" in the context of business.

[Joanna Young]

Hi Brad

It's great fun once you start thinking about it. I'm sure every organisation has their fair share of characters from Alice. Once I'd identified people as a stressed out White Rabbit or crotchety Red Queen things never seemed quite so bad at work again :)

Joanna