Conference 7.286::digital

	Hi,

	.0 is very nice, but what if the problems are more like:

	1) Geese tie strings to members of the formation that
	   can't or won't keep up -- they tow them along.

		What happens when the towees get too heavy for
		the towers ?

	2) The lead goose is headed for the Arctic Circle at the
	   end of September.

		What should the followers do if the leader 
		heads in a direction that will result in
		their being frozen to death over the coming winter ?

    Re: .1
    
    Go back to the base note, read item #4, and consider how 
    your honking sounds.....
    
    
    Basenoter

>    Re: .1
>    
>    Go back to the base note, read item #4, and consider how 
>    your honking sounds.....
>    
    

	>HONK<  Everything is fine.		Stock $200/share

	>HONK<  Everything is fine.		Stock $98/share

	>HONK<  Everything is fine.		Stock $55/share

	>HONK<	?

    And if a silly goose gets "transitioned", do two other geese escort it
    down? :-) :-)
    

    re: .0
    
    71% greater flying range --
    
    Who in the flock figures this stuff out???
    

    
    
    And what do we do when all the LEAD gooses sell half of their
    feathers??
    
    do we keep following and honking like we're all happy little gooses??
    
    
    ??
    

     i dont think the price of stock going down means we are flying in the
     wrong direction, necessarily.
    
     you could be hit by the worst of storms in spring times too.
    
     hopefully the Birds will keep flying to get out of the storm, for if
     they slow down they'll actually remain in the storm longer.
    
     i just love birds stories .
    
     /nasser
                                        
    

  
  > i dont think the price of stock going down means we are flying in the
  > wrong direction, necessarily.                                        
  
  The geese had been flying for a fair time, enjoying the scenery, making
  the odd course correction as necessary, when the lead geese saw a plane
  cross in front of them. Thinking "That must be the best way to go" they
  turn to follow it. Unfortunately the difference in speed means that not
  only did they not see the plane in time to intercept it,  but they also
  lost track of it after a while. Not to worry though, they plodded along
  the same way, waited for the next plane that came into sight and turned
  to follow it - regardless of whether it was going in the same direction
  as the last one, that of their original path or yet another new one ...
  
    Now this led to the once picturesque formation getting distorted out of
  shape so the lift that used to be gained from the leaders was lost, the
  flapping of the higher wings was only felt as drag by the birds following
  behind and, worse of all, the flock started to fall apart : the formation
  had grown during the course of the journey and although (amidst much honking)
  the lead birds kept finding new directions, the birds at the back were still
  trying to follow the previous course corrections, with more getting [re]tired
  and dropping out on each twist & turn.
  
    None of the geese had the slightest doubt that the migration was necessary
  as Winter was coming on fast nor did they set out thinking the journey would
  be easy but as time went on, more and more started to recognise that the
  scenery below them was disturbingly familiar ... they couldn't really be
  going round in circles could they ? 
  
  Frank

    re .8  
    
    I think that the geese saw a plane and were splattered by it....
    guts and feathers everywhere....
    the survivors flew willy nilly bumping into each other not knowing
    where to go or what to do. ..
    all they needed was direction, but there were no leaders among them.
    
    :-)

    
    The geese in the back were honking frantically, "We're going the WRONG
    WAY!". The lead goose, being so far removed from those at the back,
    heard the honking but couldn't quite make it out, so he asked the
    geese flying closest to his butt to find out what was going on. But
    his immediate subordinates were loathe to break rank, leave their
    leader's tail and fight the headwind on their own just to see what the
    problem was at the back of the pack. So they sent memos back and forth.
    Of course, each level of subordinate, unwilling to pass forward any bad
    news (fearing the goose poop that would immediately flow back down the
    slipstream) watered down the facts. As a result, the message to the
    leader was "Everything's fine. Keep flapping!"
    
    
    Lesson: Given human nature, it's silly to assume all that noise behind
            you is a strong endorsement of your current direction.
    

    I can see the bumper sticker now:
    
    HONK if you love Digital

    Why do I feel as though and the other lower level employees are
    standing on the ground as the formation of geese flies over? (well fed
    geese who just had a big meal)
    
    Ken

    re.10 Bravo! (and it's especially discouraging when you see the 
    geese in front flying straight towards the Delaware Bay Goose
    Hunters Club ;-)/2 )
    
    maybe the real 'leaders' took the package and flew off into the sunset?

	OK.  Even though I started the torrent of cynicism that
	replies to .0 have become, I have to say that I don't
	disagree completely with the base note.

	I corresponded with the author offline, and believe that
	he's not one of those types that stand up in meetings and
	say, "Well, I think management's doing a superb job.  Let's
	all give the boss a big hand."

	I think he's just a positive thinker ( the real article ).

	I'm cynical because I've just about come to the conclusion
	that the company isn't fixable...

	Darned shame.....sorry to take it out on Eric.

	Steve H

    Anyone feel like pate? 
    
    The positivism of note .0 is great. Now if our group could only just
    have the 10 heads WE NEED to do the business WE HAVE I can stop
    being treated like geese at a farm - wings clipped and force fed and we 
    can have some room and time to look around and get some direction. 
    Everyone is either flying so close to the bum of the person in front or 
    stuck in a shed with no way of seeing the outside world.
    
    Oh for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen.
    
    
    regards,
    John
    
    p.s. if you call someone a goose in Australia it generally means
    	 they are someone who blythely sticks their neck out and
    	 does something totally stupid. The analogy doesnt have the same
    	 effect here.
    

... to some of those trailing at the back of the formation, they look amazingly 
like turkeys.  :-)

Sorry to be down on a topic intented to be positive.  But then gallows humor is
widely prevalent these days.

    Re: 14

    Thank you Steve for your honest reply.

    The basenote seems to be a scapegoat for the frustrated.

    Are there any positive or neutral criticisms out there?  If so, I'd 
    like to hear from you as well.....
                                     
    Eric

    Seems to me like the geese in front only want positive feedback,
    never negative. (To put it politely.) If you give then negative
    feedback, they criticize your attitude. So, they tend to hang
    around with other positive-only types and ignore those who live 
    with the consequences of their actions on a day-to-day basis.
    
    

    Analogies are always so much fun; They always have a truth; They are
    always false, someways.
    
    I raise geese. They do not behave as described.
    ? Lesson: Statistics and abstractions may not apply to individuals.
    
    Even where observed behavior is similar, the meanings we try to
    understand and convey are linked to the underlying framework of causes, 
    physics and motivations. This arena of meaning is much more of an 
    "open system".
    
    ? Lesson:  Meaning IS metaphor.  Hence chaos dominates communication.
    
    An observation: Every goose is endowed with a direction-finding
    capability. Leader and direction w.r.t. geese does not refer to the 
    same meaning as when applied to the context of people and corporations.
    
    but it is fun!
    
    /pope
    
    

    Ok.  If we all behave like geese we can successfully fly to a warmer
    destination during the cold season.  They've managed to get that down.
    We can learn from this.
    
    However, I am still a bit vague on the geese's ability to develop
    product and services, accuratly forecast demand, and implement and
    execute a profitable sales plan.  
    
    Can I infer that if all the geese in the back honk in a loud and
    positive manner, the one in front will suddenly become smarter and 
    experienced enough to run a large corporation?
    
    -Ekniv
    
    P.S. If I have made spelling, grammer or logic assumptions I would like
    to apologize.  The act would of course be moot, since anyone seriously
    offended has likely refused to read this far.

    
    ok...they are flying...goose dumps in mid-air..those behind get it in
    the face.
    
    These type of analogies crack me up.
    
    

Dear noters,

An analogy is never intended to present an exact correlation of ideas or 
information.  In fact, there is some license taken.  This analogy is about 
team-building.  It is *not* about running a corporation, or pretending that
everything is just fine or waving the flag when there is work to do or
problems to solve.  

You will only get from this what you bring to it. It is really a matter of 
attitude or consciousness.  I am not surprised that I have had very positive 
responses in the E-MAIL -- some with interesting comments about not wanting  
to be the target of grumbly retorts in the notes file.  As such, this dumping 
ground has provided an unsuitable environment for others to share their 
thoughts.

I had hoped that the basenote would give you something positive to think 
about.  Unfortunately, most of the replies sound like they are from people 
who are venting frustrations, and appreciating little.  And there is much 
frustration in DEC these days.  I do understand humor, and some of the 
humorous responses were fine.  Dumping, however, is not thoughtful criticism.  

I placed this note in this conference so a larger audience could access it.
I wonder if it was worth the effort.....

I leave you with this.  Go watch the geese yourself.  They've been around for 
many thousands of years, and if humans don't upset their habitats, they will 
be around for just as many more.   What are you comparing the geese to, and 
how long will THAT be around?  There are lessons in this analogy for those 
who are open to them and care to value different thinking. 
                                        
Thank you for reading this through,
Eric
    

    Wow, 21 negative notes in a row! HOW CAN THIS BE!!!!?
    
    I hope this isn't representative of the company! 
    We really are where we think we are, we'll go where we think we're going. 
    If we keep screaming that the sky is falling, we are likely to flee 
    straight into the foxes mouth!
    
    chin up! let's watch where we're going! 
    
    Sharon
    
    

    
    
    Well, It doesn't take getting hit with "too" many pieces of
    sky for me to think that the sky is really falling.  I have
    been "stripped" of my responsibilities and have been sitting
    in my office awaiting word on whether or not I will be here
    after 10/25/91, (ASO day of infamy).  I am pretty sure that
    I am, in fact I better be, history after that.  I know deep
    down inside that the company is doing the right thing for it's
    future existance and I'm ok with that.  I have a lot of friends
    that will still be here after I am gone and wish DEC and them
    well.  What I have a hard time with is the manner in which DEC
    has progressed through this difficult time.  SLOWLY!  I have
    worked in the semiconductor industry were the experts at down-
    sizing lived and worked.  We should have learned from them 
    because the last time I looked around MOST of them were here
    at DEC.  We state that we care about our people and want to
    do this right but our actions are in direct conflict with our
    intent.  Dragging this out for weeks/months/years is NOT doing
    anyone any good.
    
    Just MHO and subject to yours too...
    
    Bryan