{"id":2567,"date":"2014-11-20T06:51:07","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T06:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.internationaldiplomat.com\/?p=2567"},"modified":"2014-11-20T06:51:07","modified_gmt":"2014-11-20T06:51:07","slug":"2567","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=2567","title":{"rendered":"Wisdom of A Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I think I have gone mad but when I reflect on what had happened, I am relieved to realise perhaps it is the business world I inhabit that is slowly but surely going completely nuts!
\nNo matter how high level or advanced the business situation is, humanity still acts and behaves in a ridiculously self-important and self-deluding manner where there are always people around who encourage and promote lunatic behaviour for their own ends. \u00a0Although I note the madness of this world, often with frustration, I am ashamed to confess that I condone it by participating in the charade.
\nAllow me to demonstrate through two anecdotes.
\nI worked for a large retailer who had set up a new business to explore new retailing concepts and technologies before they were implemented across their nationwide chain of stores. \u00a0\u00a0A new product range was being designed and we wanted to address ourselves to the question of finding a suitably memorable but relevant product name. \u00a0A marketing company was engaged, focus groups assembled, name searches conducted and so on. \u00a0Finally, a short list of 3 names was put before the executive board to select one.
\nWe assembled round a big table with a great deal of excitement, the marketing company made their presentation with an air of importance, explaining to us the significance and meaning of each name and finally they asked us to choose. \u00a0We debated and debated until finally, our chairman, who hardly uttered a word until that point, finally spoke. \u00a0He asked us if individually we had a favourite and we said we did. \u00a0He asked for a show of hands and everyone voted for his or her favourite name with one specific name coming on top.
\nChairman: Well, I am not keen on any of them!
\nAll of us: But they are good and they will soon grow on you, blah, blah, blah
\nChairman: I have another suggestion
\nAll of us (surprised): Oh!
\nChairman: Yes, as a matter of fact, my wife came up with it last night and I think it is just absolutely right
\nHe shared with us the wife-suggested name and we were split down the middle: those who didn\u2019t like it and those who hated it. \u00a0Bravely, one or two of us expressed their thoughts frankly but politely and slowly, more and more people found their voices and courage to object to the suggested 4th name. \u00a0Finally the Chairman spoke again and in a conciliatory manner:
\n\u201cWell, it is just a suggestion\u2026\u201d But with a less conciliatory and more menacing manner he continued: \u201cBut, let\u2019s not forget who is making this suggestion!\u201d
\nWe all immediately agreed the wife-suggested name was the best and the other three names were summarily thrown out.
\nThe second story took place a few years later. \u00a0In 1997, I was working as a consultant for a very prestigious global apparel company discussing preparation for the \u201cMillennium Bug\u201d that never was. \u00a0You may recall; companies and governments spent billions of dollars preparing for the dreaded bug by checking their entire computerised systems from accounting packages to lifts, elevators and air conditioning systems. \u00a0The supposed catastrophe was to befall the world at 1 minute past midnight on the first day of the year 2000, everything will come crashing around our ears because our highly computerised world would not able to handle the switch from the date format of 1990 something to 2000 something, unless we make laborious and expensive checks and amendments.
\nThe whole thing was a huge sham of course, which kept tens of thousands of computer experts and consultants in work for months and months. \u00a0Anyway, on the day in question, we gathered in the boardroom to discuss the company\u2019s tactics on how to be ready for the day of reckoning. \u00a0Present in the room were senior company staff, three partners from an equally prestigious consultancy company and myself as an independent retained consultant. \u00a0Many ideas were thrown on the table, discussed and re-discussed ad infinitum. \u00a0Finally, the senior company man said: \u201cWhat we need is someone with previous Millennium Experience.\u201d \u00a0My first thought was: \u201cWait a minute, this person, should they exist, will be around 1040 years old, give or take a few years.\u201d
\nBefore I could say anything, or even laugh at the apparent joke, one of the prestigious consultancy partners said: \u201cWe have someone\u201d. \u00a0I waited for everyone to laugh but no one did! \u00a0What the senior company man said was: \u201cWhen can they start?\u201d \u00a0Again, I thought the joke would soon wear thin and we would all laugh, but to no avail. \u00a0Within 5 minutes, it was agreed that this extremely old consultant would turn up the following Monday and at an enormous cost, give us the benefit of his advice on how to handle this monumental challenge.
\nMany of us are familiar with a short story by Hans Christian Andersen\u00a0about the\u00a0ancient Emperor who was fooled by a couple of dishonest tailors who presented him with silk robes so fine in material that no one could actually see the clothes, except for the tailors and the arrogant but foolish Emperor who stripped naked and donned these non-existent but very expensive robes. No one dared say anything for fear of being arrested and punished so, all citizens sighed with delight at the beauty and rarity of the Emperor\u2019s robes. It took a child in the street to realise the absurdity of the situation and shout out: \u201cOh look, the Emperor has no clothes!\u201d for the population to start laughing and pointing at their foolish ruler. The dishonest tailors were arrested and executed.
\nSometimes I wish I had the wisdom and courage of a child!
\nMufid Sukkar<\/strong>
\n20 November 2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I think I have gone mad but when I reflect on what had happened, I am relieved to realise perhaps it is the business world I inhabit that is slowly but surely going completely nuts! No matter how high level or advanced the business situation is, humanity still acts and behaves in a ridiculously
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