Chapter 9

Searching for a New Metaphor

Like a Rolling Stone

—Bob Dylan

Jason knew that the company was a reflection of him and wondered whether the current attributes could describe who he had become as well? As tempting as it was, however, he didn’t have time to think about that for the moment. Jason’s old partner, Dillon, had long since cashed out and was living somewhere in the south of France. Lucky guy. He thought briefly about those days in the Irish pub and the fun they had while envisioning what their organization could become. It was certainly not the organization that had emerged.

The vision had been built on the metaphor of fast cars, Porsches in particular. Jason had always been a Porsche fan; no, a Porsche enthusiast would be more accurate. He loved everything about the shape, sound, and engineering excellence that they represented. He wanted the company to emulate everything that Porsche stood for; however, that was no longer possible. He also realized that the company needed him to lead again. He needed to fill everyone up and get them to rev their engines again. They needed to get back on the starting line, but the metaphor was worn out and broken down. Jason decided to take a walk and clear his head.

Los Angeles can be a beautiful town, full of excitement and interesting people. He turned the corner down Sunset Drive and looked to where the old Tower Records used to be just a few years earlier. It was great back in the good old days, the days of vinyl, hair down to their waists, and parties into the early morning. Now, they all wore their hair neatly trimmed, and dressed in tailored Armani suits. He longed for those old jeans that he wore hitchhiking across country that had patches all over them. He especially loved the little harmonica pocket that was sewn on by that girl in Albuquerque. He would tuck the “C” harp into its little pouch and pull it out whenever he heard someone strumming a guitar. It was a glorious time, carefree, full of adventure and no responsibilities. Now he had responsibility over a multimillion dollar budget, 150 plus artists and musicians, and a staff of over 300. It made him tired just thinking about it.

As he walked, he saw some kids playing the old game of 4-Square. Remember that? You would use chalk to draw out four squares that were large enough for you to stand in and you and three friends would each take a square while bouncing the ball back and forth between you. The ball was allowed to bounce only once in your square before you had to bounce it to someone else. Seeing them reminded him of the joy and simplicity of being a kid.

Later, he started to think about his company again and couldn’t shake the thought of the game of 4-Square being played by those kids. When he returned to the office from his walk, he went back to working on the responses from his staff. His staff had listed current attributes, and he had made a list of polar opposites. Then he thought, “What things would best represent the new attributes?” He made the following short list of categories that he thought would easily contain things that would be a good fit for a new metaphor.

As he considered each category and some things in each category, he settled on sports. He could have used cars again, but the Porsche metaphor was for a different time, and they needed something new and fresh.

Jason’s mind kept drifting back to the game of 4-Square. What was it that was so intriguing? Was it the action of four people hitting something back and forth between them? Was it the quick reflex responses that it took to recognize the ball coming at you and then batting it into someone else’s square? Was it the ball? Then it hit him! That’s it; he wanted their company to be like a ball! Pure inspiration took over in that moment. It was like when you hear a great hook in a song. It stays with you. You can’t seem to get it out of your mind. You play it over and over again in your thoughts. You hum it under your breath. As simple as that sounds, he realized that he had stumbled on what might be their new metaphor.

As he thought about it, he realized that something as simple as a ball had hidden attributes that he could tap into to help define a new vision for the company. It could also help shape the way they would redefine their mission and handle challenges in the future. He set about trying to discover those hidden attributes. Having studied linguistics and cognitive behavior in college, he knew that metaphors were a comparison between two things that were similar in relationship but not necessarily in strength. Although his company was strong, the ball represented attributes that seemed consistent with the new attributes that they desired to represent. However, first he needed to make sure he was comparing two things that could rationally be compared. He had to look at their structures.

Structural Alignment of the Metaphor

Jason considered whether the company and the ball were structurally similar. The company and the ball both had boundaries. The people in the company could be seen like molecules that make up the ball. The values, vision, and mission held the company together. However, these elements had eroded over time and the people were gradually drifting apart from each other, causing a breakdown in the organizational structure. They needed to tap into the power of a new metaphor in order to bring everyone back together as a team.

Jason knew that if the ball turned out to be the new metaphor, researching the metaphor was only part of the plan. He would need to articulate a new leadership approach utilizing the metaphor to color his language and bring understanding and clarity to his delivery. He would also need to be consistent in the use of the metaphor in order to weave it into the fabric of the company from their values, to the vision, through the mission statement, and down into their goals and objectives. Everything would have to line up, but first he needed to think through the ball metaphor more deeply.

Balls can be made from many things. Some are rubber, some are plastic, some are made from wood, and some are made from glass and very fragile. The size and shape of the ball used in the metaphor would need to be considered. Most balls are round, but the football is oblong. This creates its own dynamics. How balls are thrown impacts the trajectory and, therefore, the distance the ball will travel. Oblong balls such as a football don’t bounce in a predictable manner. He also knew that he couldn’t decide on a metaphor without input from his colleagues. That afternoon he sent an e-mail to his Executive Team to meet the next morning. They needed to address this issue while they had a chance.

Getting Others Involved

Everyone attended the meeting this time. Apparently, the word had gotten out that the boss was on a rampage. Well, whatever the reason, it was great to get everyone in the same room to toss some ideas around. Jason knew that some of the folks gathered did not have a bent toward creativity. It’s funny that they ended up in this business and loved it. Without mentioning a metaphor, Jason began the meeting by asking everyone to write down the polar opposites of their original list of current attributes. Although he didn’t show them his list, theirs corresponded with his.

He then asked them to write down categories that might hold things that would characterize the new list of polar opposites of attributes. Their list was longer but included the three that he had written in the solitude of his office. The exercise was confirming the process that they were using was logical and rational. He took note of the comments and dismissed the team. They looked at each other wondering if Jason was out of his mind. He knew they were expecting something else but he was not going to give anyone a tongue-lashing. He was on a mission to discover a new metaphor.

In the category of balls, there are many types as stated earlier. Jason needed a particular type of ball that exhibited similar attributes to the new attributes they had come up with. Basketballs are too cumbersome and require significant skill to maneuver effectively. Footballs were out of the question because of their odd shape and aerodynamic properties. Baseballs were easy to throw but too hard. Tennis balls, on the other hand, were fun, the right size for throwing, bounced well, were flexible, and resilient. They have a soft outer skin that has a texture that is comfortable, and they come in fun neon colors. They are the right consistency and contain a lot of kinetic energy that can be transferred into a trajectory of long distance. When they hit a wall, they bounce off without permanently changing shape. They offer attributes of resilience and agility. They can be used aggressively without really hurting anyone and therefore risky behavior with tennis balls can be tolerated. They had their metaphor, a tennis ball. However, as he thought about the ball, he couldn’t help but see that the game of tennis also had a couple of other great attributes: (1) You must keep your eyes on the ball and (2) you should stay on the balls of your feet to remain maneuverable and light so that you can change direction immediately.

Translating the Attributes into Principles

That night Jason couldn’t sleep very well. The metaphor continued to roll around in his head. He was anxious to put more thoughts down on paper. However, he was concerned about how to share this new metaphor. He had to construct the metaphor in language that made sense to others. It needed to inspire, give direction, provide boundaries, and establish how they would work together in the future. Although a tennis ball might at first seem like a simple object, he knew there was still much more to learn about it and how it could inform their culture and mission. He also knew that their branding was suffering. This was a primary result of their lack of focus. Perhaps the metaphor could help there as well?

He got to the office early the next morning. The cleaning people were just finishing up. Bill, the cleaning company supervisor, greeted him with a surprise smile and handshake. They had known each other for many years but it had been a long time since Jason had come in this early, having, for the past several years, resorted to taking a daily morning stroll on the beach before coming to work. It was good to see Bill. He reminded Jason of happier days.

Things were tough back then but his team was tougher. They were hungry to get their piece of the pie. Jason asked Bill about his family. His wife worked with him but was cleaning on another floor. Bill’s son had gone off to grad school at the University of Edinburgh, and his daughter was studying Forensic Psychology at USC. “How he could afford this?” Jason thought. He didn’t understand, but Bill was clearly proud of them and rightfully so.

Jason stopped and got a cup of coffee from the employee kitchen, black this morning and strong and slipped into his office. Setting up coffee on a timer every evening before he left work always assured that he’d have a good hot cup of coffee when he returned the next morning. Jason suspected that others in the office appreciated coming in to a hot pot of coffee as well. He made a habit of setting the timer an hour earlier than he usually arrived just in case he came in early as he did this morning. Jason turned on his computer and waited for it to boot up.

After quickly scanning his e-mails, he did a Google search on “How to make tennis balls.” His screen quickly filled with YouTube videos, articles, and websites all dedicated to telling and showing how to make tennis balls. Apparently others were interested in tennis balls as well. “This was weird,” he thought. The first pdf document that he opened spelled out the entire process.

Large rubber sheets are slid into a machine that stamps out rubber slugs. Jason was reminded how most of his team came to his company directly out of college having received their stamp of approval to enter the workforce. Still green, they were the raw material that he had built into successful music executives. The rubber slugs are melted and poured into molds in the shape of half-shells. Then these are fed into a machine that shakes them until they are all facing the same direction with the open side up. The picture he saw here was that each new employee had to learn the rules of the game and develop some core competencies. Then, the half-shells are dropped into trays where glue is applied to the rims. They go into a press, and another set of half-shells are turned upside down and pressed against these. The press closes, squeezing the two sides together and forming a perfect ball. The press also regulates the pressure of the air inside the ball. Apparently, there are strict regulations about the pressure because it determines how much bounce a tennis ball requires in order to satisfy the regulations. He needed to make sure his employees could handle the pressure of the music business so that they would be able to bounce back after a setback.

When the balls come out of the press, the end result is called a tennis ball core. The cores are then sent on to a machine that scuffs up the surface of the ball. Having a rougher surface allows glue to stick better. After his employees develop their core competencies, they hit the streets and get roughed up a bit as they learn how to swim with the sharks. Meanwhile, felt is cut to wrap around the ball. The felt is cut into peanut-shaped strips. When two of these strips are wrapped together around the core, they link up perfectly and there are no overlapping or empty spots. He did his best to help his employees weather this period of indoctrination by encouraging them, assigning mentors, and teaching them the ropes.

At this point neon green or another bright colored felt is used to increase visibility. Tennis balls can be found in many different colors, much like the diversity he had in his company. The balls then go through a machine that rolls them around and presses them, making sure that the felt is securely attached to all surfaces of the ball. At some point in the indoctrination process, when they think the employee is ready to represent artists, they take them through a panel interview to see what they’ve learned and to make sure they are ready to get in the game. The balls are then lined up and stamped or printed with a logo of the company that is manufacturing them. His employees are finally issued business cards that become their stamp of approval.

The balls are then dropped into cans, and the cans are sealed and pressurized. The reason that cans are pressurized is to maintain a specific pressure on the inside of the balls. This is why you hear that whoosh of air rushing out when you open up a new can. He makes every effort to keep his employees on their game by allowing just enough competition to keep the pressure on them to remain fresh and up to date on new artists, projects, and marketing strategies.

Jason discovered some very interesting facts about how tennis balls are made and how the process related to how they trained and prepared their young college grads to navigate the murky waters of the music industry. He then had to consider several issues. Was the metaphor applicable in a very real sense? Could it withstand the scrutiny of application in their present reality? Could the metaphor evoke an emotional response using terminology that would illustrate the attributes expressed by his Executive Team? Finally, could he articulate the metaphor in words that are concise without losing the meanings embedded in the metaphor? At this point, he had to take the new attributes and translate them into principles that would guide the company into the future. Below he added the list that characterized the new attributes and the corresponding principles. He removed the list of categories since he had settled on the game of tennis and the tennis ball.

Jason pondered these principles throughout the day as he had opportunity. Nothing had changed since their meeting the day prior, however, everyone seemed to be in a posture of, “What next?” He thought about their vision statement first, “To be an international force in music that would change the lives of everyone who heard or saw the incredible mix of sound or visual performance by our artists and productions.” This was a good vision statement but lacked movement or motion. The new metaphor would need to propel the company on a new trajectory. He could see how the tennis ball metaphor would work well here.

Then he considered their mission statement. Unfortunately, it had been a long time since he’d read it, and he was unable to remember it word for word. He finally found a copy, “Our mission is to make international stars of our artists by producing and promoting their work around the world to audiences of every class, race, and ethnic group.” Wow, this sure sounded good. He wasn’t sure how the metaphor might alter the mission statement though.

Their values seemed sound. They rested on the acronym of TRUTH; Trust, Reflection, Uniqueness, Teamwork, and Humility. Several of their values had eroded over time and would probably need revisiting as to how they could maintain consistency with their values in their daily business activities. They had a long way to go to reengineer his company to meet the adjectives and attributes that he wanted this company to reflect.

Jason called another meeting with his Executive Team for the following week. He planned to unveil the potential new metaphor and ask for feedback. At this point, he needed to beta-test the metaphor for acceptance and emotional response.

The meeting went well with a majority of the Executive Team recognizing the need for a new metaphor and seeing how the tennis ball could easily fit what they were looking for. However, they were still a bit skeptical as to how they could incorporate the principles and articulate them to the rest of the company. They began working on rewriting the vision and mission statements.

Questions to Consider

1.What three current attributes or adjectives would you use to describe the current condition of your organization?

2.What are the polar opposite of these attributes?

3.Can you identify guiding principles that would adequately describe these polar opposites?