Don't Be Like Owl

I've had this podcast series idea for quite some time and finally decided it was time to share it. I am an avid reader and movie watcher. Plus, I'm a dad of 5 and have read and watched nearly everything out there. Combine this with my appetite for observation. I notice things in books and movies that make me think. I connect invented characters to real-life lessons. This podcast series will consist of a number of Don't Be Likes. This first one is Don't Be Like Owl. I'll do others on Don't Be Like Clark W. Griswold, or Phil Connors, or a Lemming. It's going to be a lot of fun for me to share these characters with you.

You all know Owl. He's the wise, old tree-dweller in Disney's Winnie the Pooh. Owl is far too wise and smart for his own good. He is self-absorbed and loves to hear himself orate long stories. He has no idea what is going on around him when he is speaking. He has no idea if anyone is even listening. He just loves to weave his tales, no matter how boring or unrelated. In fact, his stories often go on massive rabbit trails as he describes some distant family member... and so on. Do you know anyone like this?

There are two stories in Winnie the Pooh that I think epitomize Owl's inability to read the room. It's Owl's MASSIVE blind spot! In the first one, there is a gust of wind that steals poor Piglet away. Pooh is able to keep a hold of him like he's flying a kite. Piglet flies through the Hundred-Acre Wood until he smacks into Owl's window. It's obvious that Piglet is in trouble and Pooh is yelling for Owl to help. All he has to do is open the window to let Piglet in. Instead, Owl thinks of a time when the wind was also very strong. He starts a long oration about a distant family member... Piglet floats on and the scene continues as Owl is still talking with enthusiasm to no one and thoroughly enjoying it. 

Here's another one. Pooh's head is stuck in a honey pot, upside-down, and raging in the flood waters toward the waterfall. Piglet is also at the mercy of the flood, stuck on a chair, and heading toward the waterfall. Enter Owl. He sees his friends and doesn't even notice the danger they are in. He takes the opportunity to start another oration, completely in "Owl-land". All Owl had to do was fly over to them and help them out or extend a long branch and pull them back into safety. But that's not what Owl does. He is triggered by their appearance and loses all sense of reality. Owl is still talking as Pooh and Piglet careen over the waterfall's edge. Thankfully, they are okay or it would have been a terrible children's story. Again, I ask you. Do you know anyone like this?

I have encountered so many people over the years that will talk your ear off with absolutely no regard for social queues or the ability to read the room around them. They are so self-absorbed, whether intentional or not, that they push people away. No one in their right mind wants to be around someone like this. Do you agree?

There's an old saying. "Do you know that Ugly attacks 1 out of 3. Yeah, look to your right and left. If you don't see it, it's you!" I ask you this. If you don't know anyone like Owl and have no idea what I'm talking about, it's possible that YOU are Owl. Is your business stunted for growth. You cannot outgrow your level of leadership. Maybe you're the problem?! I urge everyone listening to this podcast to check themselves. Don't be like Owl!

Do you like this series? I hope so because I have more to share in the coming months. If you have ideas of characters you'd like me to analyze, please email me - ken@smartcleaningschool.com.