Should the CEO be worried? (Part 1)

February 9th, 2010

1

Napoleon was a prototypical CEO, one could argue, and I am sure many people secretly see themselves as his modern counterpart. One of the things he used to do (it was said) was to go amongst his soldiers disguised as one of them, to hear their conversations and observe their morale. I, of course, cannot disguise myself (or … can I?), but I do try to spend time with my “troops,” and sometimes I … see things. I thought I’d share some of these with you in my new Series “Should the CEO be worried?”

Here is an image I found outside one of the developer pits:

Now let’s look at this for a second and appreciate the level of detail that went into this:

a) RED CIRCLE – I believe the key to the entire piece is a simple word, “Bugs.” Its Hemmingway-like clarity reveals the tip of an iceberg that lies tragically in our path. Should I be worried? Or perhaps this is a challenge to “bugs” from an opponent so fierce (ourselves) that bugs have plenty of warning to get ready. Bugs have time, days, even weeks, to get the castle in order, poison their arrows, sharpen their swords, and barricade the doors. But it will not matter…

b) YELLOW CIRCLE – There seems to be a rather angry guy in jail. Could this be how the developers feel? Or am I being too shallow? Could the key in reading this be in the perspective? What if the guy is on the outside, looking in? Could we (the viewer) be the ones in a mental prison, which the anonymous hero is trying to break us out of? If that is so, then I raise my glass to him.

c) PURPLE CIRCLE – The Focal point of the piece must be some Skeletor-looking “Philosopher Skull King” with lightning-yells combined with a “friendly” devil at the bottom looking up from an unseen Hell (notice how the artists hints at a world outside the piece). In this piece, the devil is a friendly, curious, almost welcome, contrast to the chaos from the center skull.

d) GREEN CIRCLE – In the verbal/visual mosaic, the words “Divine Retribution” seem to be coming out of the Skull’s head, as a form of Barbaric Yawp. I am not sure what this means, other than the Philosopher Skull King should serve as a warning to the us that the wrongs done will be righted and (one could assume) the rights be rewarded…right?

e) ORANGE CIRCLE – The word “Crime” is almost nonsensically placed as a cloud raining on a hapless inhabitant of this piece. Clearly, this must relate to the man in jail … but how? One may think its goes back to the hinted moralistic streak of the artist who feels crime to be the kind of things which affects all of us, not just the individual victim (in the way everyone gets wet with rain).

f) BLUE CIRCLE – There is a nonchalant frown in the Hapless Inhabitant. A Frown which actually leaves his face. (see below)

Again, the artist sees emotions as a collective experience not limited to the individual, as evidenced by a frown which transcends the face.

Should I be worried that the sadness leaves the individual and propagates throughout the company? Or should I rest easy in knowing that the artist’s creative powers of the artists will also flow to the others?

Diego

Tagged with: Culture, team members

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