Over My Dead Body
Bill was settling in for another comfortable day. He knew Sheila would be stirring shortly and he was looking forward to them reminiscing about their leadership careers. They did enjoy reviewing the past and sharing key moments which were pivotal for them and their companies. Eventually, Bill could hear Sheila starting to do her morning stretches and it was not long before she threw out the first challenge of the day; “Who would have thought steam could ever have replaced sail.” Bill laughed.
“I remember Isambard Kingdom Brunel pestering me for months to present an opportunity to our board. He said it would transform our service delivery to the North American customer base and disrupt our competitor's capability for years. How we laughed. He said his new ship was powered by steam, SS Great Western and would enable us to offer same month delivery to customers. How we laughed, same month delivery in a ship that is powered by steam, across the Atlantic. Our board was filled with howls of laughter as Isambard took his plans and left the building. I will never forget the look in his eye when I shouted Over My Dead Body as he closed the door behind him.”
Sheila said “I know, I know, I know. I remember when he approached me to fund his Thames Tunnel. I almost fell off my garden chair when he presented his plans. I told him he was ill advised. Who on earth would enter a tunnel that goes under a river? He promised it would be a huge success and one day become part of the London Underground and still be in use 150 years later. Over My Dead Body, I said as I waved him goodbye.”
Soon Bill and Sheila could hear the howls of laughter from Otzi the nobleman from 3500 BC Chalcolithic, “When they showed me the wheel in the town square I remember muttering to myself Over My Dead Body. What would you do with a wheel when you are already riding a horse. I told him, no one is going to carry a wheel around all day looking for a use for it.”
Otzi was a noisy chap and disturbed Belinda, as she stretched she remarked that it has stuck in her mind the day she was presented with the first demo disk from Elvis. It sounded like trouble and I never listened to the B side in case it hurt my ears. I was very direct with him, standing there in tight pants and a funny hair do. I told him “Over My Dead Body will we ever produce records like that. Stick to cleaning windows was my advice.”
Shortly there was a chorus of voices from the gathered leaders, “A telephone, land on the moon, Fax machines, carts with no horses, women who can vote, machines that add up, moving pictures, machines linked together speaking to each other all around the world, driverless cars, space station on Mars, cure for the common cold and Alzheimer's, Brexit, Trump (shouted the young ones), a woman president, a black man in the white house, an independent Scotland, a borderless world, the end of TV, mobile apps instead of schools, teachers who work from home, drug-free sports, banks who are fair, open and transparent………..
The chorus grew as they all shuffled in their coffins enjoying another day in the cemetery, the banter was great, the teasing supreme, until it all built into one consummate crescendo and they all howled “Over Our Dead Bodies” and in a whisper someone mooted from the freshly interred executives plot next to the new Asda, “It was”.
What will you talk about when you shuffle endlessly in your executive coffin? Will you be buried here in Over My Dead Body Meadow? Or perhaps you prefer being buried on Some Day Isle, or would you consider a slot in I Could Have Told You That crematorium? Nowadays you can even scatter your ashes in We Have Tried That Before Woods, a lovely place but filling up fast.
Across the town, there are some new burial plots coming up in Well Done Grove, Sustainability Fields, Team Building Lake and Innovation Gets My Vote Green. However, the atmosphere is very different these souls chatter and learn from each other all the time, they share ideas, boost each others self-esteem and work collaboratively in teams. Maybe one day they will work out a way to come back from the grave………..
Over My Dead Body shout the cadavers from Over My Dead Body Meadow……….
Roy Newey ?2016
60 countries, 5 continents & decades of business advisory experience to help you with what you do.
8 年And to all those with some knowledge of TV, now's the time - especially as we enter the new year - to decide whether we should be being considered for the cast of "One foot in the Grave'... Nicely written Roy.
Passionate entrepreneur | Making every second count | Here to do good & to help where I can | Changing the world, one positive disruptive step at a time | Let's ensure that whatever we do together, it's fun! |
8 年I was not sure what I was reading until half way through but I read anyway as you tell a compelling tale. And how right you are! We have similar tales to tell here at The Training Room....Beauty education in twelve weeks and then a job waiting for you? guffaw guffaw...over my dead body etc. Now we are the largest provider of private Beauty Education in the UK. I assume there are many rolling in their graves...whilst we continue to dumbfound and grow.
Instructional Designer with significant experience of needs analysis, scoping, storyboarding, designing and developing impactful blended learning programmes to develop, skills knowledge and performance improvement.
8 年Awesome article Roy innovative, imaginative and hopefully disturbing for those destined for Over My Dead Body Meadow......
Board & Exec team facilitator/ adviser on leader-leader coaching [email protected]
8 年FABULOUS, Roy. A complete delight from beginning to end. When is that book coming out? All best, Pete
Senior Innovation and Growth Specialist at Newable
8 年Roy Newey - what can I say - brilliant!