Leader in Business? Arrrr! Why Don’t You Talk Like A Pirate?
Avast, me mateys in the business ownership ships! In case you were somehow not awarr, National Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming September 19. The holiday is particularly popular with Pastafarians, but entrepreneurs can have a little fun with the holiday too!
NGL, from time to time I celebrate…
I don’t have any data to cite for this, but anecdotally parody religions seem to have really sprouted after the 80s. Or maybe that’s when I really started to enjoy them. When I was in college in the early ‘90s, the Church of the Sub-Genius and its prophet, J. R. “Bob” Dobbs, in the pursuit of SLACK, was going strong. Relax in the comfort of your own delusions!
After that for a time (back in the dial-up days IIRC) we had the Invisible Pink Unicorn. May her hooves never be shod.
And then in 2005, in response to some creationist attempts to teach the Christian religion in public schools in the state of Kansas, came the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You might’ve heard of the FSM.
You want proof? Well, there’s proof: a drawing on notepaper of a man, a mountain, a midgit [sic], some trees, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I take my highly skeptical approach to life and invisible pink unicorns to business too. It’s a very different way of looking at things. Imagine pulling back to a 30,000-foot high view… and then rotating that view 106 degrees. Or some angle that makes everything look different.
Whether you’re investigating the vague, unknown but desirable qualities of Slack (Subgenius), daydreaming about the invisible pink unicorn, or being touched by Quob’s noodly appendage (church of the FSM), you’re looking at life from a different perspective.
Whether you’re Christian or not, your own business might benefit from a significant shift in perspective. (No, you don’t have to wear a colander on your head to go Pastafarian, although it does make for an awesome driver’s license picture with religious headgear.)
What are the fundamental assumptions you’re making in your business - about the business itself, the industry you’re in, your staff, your customers, your vendors, even yourself? Challenge them and see what you come up with. Take the big them of what you’re doing it and examine it from all angles.
What would someone who is very different from you think about it? How would they approach your tagline? Does it make sense to someone who isn’t familiar with you? Put on a colander if it helps.
Or even, in honor of September 19, say your tagline out loud like a pirate would, rolling your “r”s and throwing in some “avasts”, “mateys” and the like. Whatever you think a pirate would sound like. That can help you pull back and look at the company from a holistic standpoint, and might even help you see where you’re stuck or what needs to be improved.
Parody religions? R’amen. They might be good for your business!