A Flotilla of Ideas

“Ohm-m-m-m-m. Oh-m-m-m-m-m… Ohmm-

“Mr. Pratt, Mr. Pratt… are you in here?”

“ Oh Right here. Oh hi Prab. I will be just a moment”

“Where are you?”

“Over here.  I am just down on the floor right over here behind the desk. I just need a moment to finish up.”

“Okay.”

“A-h-h-h-h-h-h… there it is… oh boy, that was amazing”

“Um… what were you doing?

“Oh…I just had to release it. I just finished ‘floating an idea’. It’s the uppermost activity in the Idea Funnel that I have created for the Thought Leadership program here at Tailwind.”

“Hmm… that’s i-n-t-e-resting – I think”

“Thanks, Prab. I thought so too. As a Thought Leader in a trucking software company I realized that I must refine my art, refine my skills – learn how to produce an idea even when I don’t feel like it – you know when I am feeling flat, or something is bothering me. I work on clearing my mind and releasing just one pure thought.”

“What idea did you ‘float’ today?”

“Well, this morning on the way into work I found myself driving behind this white Ford Explorer. It was actually a Border Inspection vehicle which is ironic because it wasn’t near the border. And he pulled into a Tim Hortons drive-through. I was wondering if they go out and check his vehicle over and ask for his birth certificate before he gets his donut and coffee. The vehicle had the words ‘Border Inspection’ placed prominently on the front doors, along with a couple of green stripes that ran around the entire vehicle. I thought that if I ran a trucking company that I could call it ‘Border Inspection Trucking’. That way I could put the same words on my Semis… and I would avoid all pre-clearance at the border because the customs guys would think it was one of their own trucks. What do you think?”

“Wow Mr. Pratt – Your ‘Thought Leadership’ work is really cutting edge. And I like the way you have the pillows and the candles all set up here.”

“You know, Prab, good ideas don’t come easy in the trucking & freight broker software industry. First you get a gut feel about something. Then you have to clear your mind and see if you can bring it up and make it into something real. Otherwise… well, that gut feel could move downward and to be honest it can cause some discomfort on occasion. That’s why it’s always good to have a lemon grass candle in the room when you are doing it, Prab”.

“It’s good you have a big office Mr. Pratt”

“I am glad you recognize the need for it Prab. Some of the folks think that it is somewhat overdone and is but a tool to convey power, a way to show the trappings of success. Some will even look through my office window and see me sitting here with my eyes closed, my legs crossed, hands on my knees with my fingers pinched together pointing upwards – and they will think that I am a total slacker. But you and I know that I am actually working diligently on Thought Leadership – that I am working to ‘float an idea’”

“Where did you learn about all this Murray? I mean Mr. Pratt?”

“Well Prab, I remember when the Beatles traveled to India to meet with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in order to pursue a path of inner enlightenment and a higher level of being. I was so inspired by that as a youngster that I thought that when I became an executive that I would pursue that as well. And despite the fact that they had a falling out because the Yogi started hitting on all the girls they brought along, he did bring Transcendental Meditation to the masses… which forever consigned rich kids  in California to living in all sorts of communes”

“Um… well… I sent in my receipts last week Mr. Pratt. My dentist normally deducts it directly but he said that I should send them directly to the benefits provider myself.”

“What? Ha, ha. Oh… I think you are thinking of Transcendental Medication! No Prab… this is ‘Meditation’. This is about clearing one’s mind of all worries. Freeing up the thinking pathways. Only when you  do that that can you float an idea.”

“Why is it so important?”

Well Prab, it’s especially important to trucking software companies because we have to translate ideas into action. If we don’t have an idea to begin with… well… well… we are totally hooped. I like to ‘float an idea’ and then run it by others. Like sometimes I will go to Brad, or Jessie, or Kyle, or John, or Angelena and they will come back with a new twist on it – or ignore it entirely and focus on updating their Fantasy Football pool. But nevertheless, I get it out there where it can float somewhat amorphously around the office until we get it organized into some sort of solid structure – why don’t you try it? Take a minute. Try it. “

“Mr. Pratt… I’d rather not.”

“Hey don’t’ worry about it. Take off your shoes and let your mind wander a bit. Start by taking a deep breath and saying ‘ohm… ohm… ohm’.

“Ohmm… ohm.. ohm…”

“Good Prab. Good work. Now see if you can come up with a good idea. See if you can float one out of your front left temporal lobe.”

“Well, I can’t feel anything come out there but… but… oh my… my lower stomach is getting a bit sore and bloated… ohm… ohm.”

“What did you have for lunch?”

“I went over to that Italian place with all that spicy sauce.”

“Well then. There are better days that we can do this. Why did you drop by my office in the first place?”

“You scheduled a meeting with me and said you wanted to talk with me.”

“Well, um… ah… um… you are absolutely right. Let me just go change and get out of this robe and get back into my beige khakis and blue shirt so I can start executing on all of these good ideas with you, Prab.”