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Black Friday An Important Part of the Celebration of Christ's Birth
The Purchasing of Mass Quantities at a Discount
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Like
the Red Cross after a disaster, each year AA visits the Mall after
Black Friday to help clear up the damage and look for any shoppers
trapped under the rubble. This year was no exception. A trip to the
USA for Thanksgiving with family brought us back to familiar
haunts.
This year with all the focus on-line sales the human tragedy
and carnage were minimal save for the rise in carpal tunnel
syndrome.
Charitable work done in record time, I nipped by the book
store.
Whenever I need a “pick-me-up”, no need to head to the
nearest pub. A visit to the bookstore’s Business Section allows me
to reconnect with old friends and have some fun or a chuckle or
two.
Look there’s Tom Peters with a new book with “excellence”
in the title. That’s how many so far? I’ve “known” Tom for
ages since I read “In Search of Excellence” some years back. He
apparently found it and hasn’t stopped writing about it since
then.
No purchase today. I’m holding out for “The Excellence of
the Excellence”.
As I scanned the shelves, there he was Elon Musk
arms folded with a determined look on his face. Gracing the cover
of a breathless tome about how he, Bezos, and some business luminary
whose name now escapes me were going to colonize space. Apparently,
it’s true that the world is not enough.
It was clear that I was
getting closer to the business celebrity section. My favorite
section. Always good for a hearty chuckle or belly laugh.
Here was
the accumulated wisdom of various captains of industry. Learn how to
be an E Manager. Or if you’re a contrarian, learn that there are
no E Managers..
Learn to Think Like a Billionaire. The alleged author
of this tome’s fortunes seem to have risen with his foray into
politics. From ship’s cook to ship’s captain thanks to a
talented ghostwriter and a gullible public
As they say, those who can, do. Those who can't, write books offering advice on how to do it. Or perhaps hire someone to write the book for them.
Books of quotes from Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos.
Inspiring lives, inspiring quotes. Words to live by.
Authors
channeling the thoughts of famous departed leaders. Sun Tzu with
advice for women businessmen. Genghis Khan.
Apparently even Jesus
had a business leadership style and has some timely pointers on "how to make a payroll". Who knew besides Jerry Falwell?
Visionary insights to be scooped
up. More knowledge per square inch of shelf space than the entire
Library of Alexandria.
A veritable collection of wisdom to rival The
Great Books. To which sadly Hutchins and Adler lacked access.
My
attempts to suppress a chuckle crumbled. I was laughing out loud.
A
clerk who had been keeping me under close surveillance given my increasingly raucous
browsing came over to ask if she could help
Yes, indeed.
Any
“works” by Adam Neumann or about him?
Sadly none. Has he missed
his fleeting chance to tell us how he made it “big” and how if we
emulate him, we can also? Will his wisdom like that of Ammonius
Saccas be lost for all time? Say it isn't true!
As I began
to walk to the exit, my eye fell on a book “The Five Habits of
Highly Effective Companies”. Incontrovertible proof that
corporations are indeed people, though I suppose none was really needed.
Later at home I heard that McKinsey or Bain
were planning to expand their consulting business to offer
psychological counselling to firms perhaps after reading the above tome. Treating addictions, resolving
traumas.
Perhaps even those from past lives. Or as we business experts call them "pre-merger
incarnations".
Good business and good works combined.
I paused to
gaze upon the history and foreign policy books just before exiting.
To my surprise I
learned that Bill Gates has an annual “best” book list. A list
that includes more than business or technology tomes.
As I left the
store, I wondered what Bill recommended I have for dinner. Sadly, a
question that remains unanswered to this very day.
Thankfully Madame Arqala usually
makes this decision. Or I might have starved to death in the absence
of Bill’s reply.
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