Challenge

Challenge
Has
A
Lot of
Life
Experience to
Edify
Normal
Grounded
Experience

This may be one of the worst business poems in the world...

DK

Life is just like Business

Life like a business
has a beginning
and an end.
Birth, growth
and senescence.

The same rules apply.
Be honest,
treasure others,
work together,
for the common good.

And remember that life is
a journey
and not a destination,
and business is a way
to do good
make a profit
but also to nurture the
human soul
the Invisible hand

The Team

The synergy of a team
works well
for one and all

Beware the primadonna
who saps
the energy and

sucks the life away from
success and joy
and team cohesion

A team is
worth much
more than
anyone of
its component parts

Go forth O team
and conquer all

Anger

Sometimes you just get angry
a busy week
an audit report
a struggle with bureacracy
why do I bother

But then optimism
springs
from hidden depths
we can do this
everything will be fine
Its Friday

Happy weekend

DK

The Challenge Roller Coaster Poem

Up and down
Depair to Joy
The Challenge of Business
Is an exciting Ride

Problem ahead
Sink low
Solution Found
hit the heights

And as a bonus
with the
challenge
Comes growth

DK

The Weekend Off

work life balance
Sure...
I will have the weekend off
Baloney

That's not how
It works in
My world
Life and work
Are play to
Me

So I enjoy
Seven day
Weekends
beat that

DK

The Board Meeting

Another Board Meeting.
Will it be a bored meeting?
Will we hit our pace,
Ask the right questions
and get to the point.



We did it
met
made decisions
and got away on time
Bravo

DK

Working late

I take a pause
to write this blog
as evening flashes by

I like the lack
of hectic rush
with all my colleagues gone

More work gets done
when after hours
in peace and quiet
I sit

I like this time
spent all alone
to get some real work done.

In senior management jobs the day can be wasted in meetings, so after work hours when the office is quiet, is an ideal time to think and get some work done.

DK

Life is Good

Each morning
my waking refrain
is this:
That Life is Good

Before the
minds caged
mouse begins to tread
I stick a pencil
through the bars
to stop the rolling
mill

Life is good
Very good
Enjoy
it while
you have breath
and while
you can

DK

First published on Qassia

Edinburgh by Day and Night

By day the city
Looks grey and bleak
A Presbyterians
Dream place
Cold overcast pall
Of unrelenting
Dulness

But by night
The city
Transforms itself
Into a place
Of light
Beautiful and
Bathed in
Golden hue

Tired

Another exhausting week
I hate projects
but I love them too
its a love-hate thing
I guess

When things go well
they go very, very well
but when the wheels fall off
things get nasty

But it helps to pay
the bills
and project friends
are friends for life
a strong band of brothers and sisters

Mentoring

Generation by generation
they arise
from the midst of
the young

Alert, keen
and ready to grow
ready for the mentors
skillful art

As I grow old
I have many
friends and colleagues
nurtured from
the seed of potential

DK

A Colonial Reflects on Living in the Old Country

It looks the same
but is not the same
12000 miles from home
But very close to the roots
of my family tree
I settle in

I feel comfortable here
up North
Friendly Folks
with cold, wet weather
Home of the Geordie
and mince and dumplings

Business terms
and styles differ
but the human dimension
and office politics
are the same the
wide world over

Another International Flight - ho hum

2 hours to go
Passport at the ready
bags packed
boredom receptors engaged

Its flying time again
half way round the world
this time
24hrs, no sleep

Cramped conditions
plastic food
jet lag
endless movies

I'm sick of it
this dislocation
month by month
year by year

One day we will
return to sail
and the travel
will be a pleasure again

The Old Laptop

Frustration
Bang, bang, bang
this laptop with its
relaxed, slow
startup
is driving me
CRAZY!!

I have work to do
and it just doesn't
understand or care.
in fact
it allies with my net
connection
to slow me down

Well honey
I've got news for you
you are for the scrap heap
unless you
sharpen
up yout act!!

Life is a Poem

Poetry is simply a commentary on life in all of its richness. Every aspect of human and business life can be captured in a poem, an anthem to human progress. While not every one can write poetry, we can all read and appreciate it. I have been reading some of Wordsworth's poems this week and have been impressed with how attached he was to nature and life. His poetry paints a picture using words.

You don't have to wait on the muse to move you, just let everyday life have its way...

DK

The Interview

Having a job interview can be a traumatic experience. Having been on both sides of the interview process, I can sympathize with the candidate.

The Interview

The pure joy
of the call
or email
"You have an
interview
on Tuesday at 10".

But then the questions begin,
how many am I up against?
I won't have a chance!!
I will have an excellent chance
back and forth according
to the
fluctuating mood

What shall I wear?
How shall I speak?
What do they want?
What do I want?
the questions multiply until
Tuesday at 10

At last Tuesday am comes
out of bed
get dressed
breakfast if you dare!
Worry
Whats the time
Its time to go
blind panic
rush
rush
rush

The wait to go in
the minutes
that seem to stretch for hours
until the dulcet,
"Would you like to come in?"

How are you, this is X, Y, Z
God, how will I remember such
tricky names?
Try not to shake, tremble
or grip the proffered hand to tightly...

The questions begin
Tell us why
Tell us what
Tell us when
Tell us what
output, output
output without break

Thank God its over
home to relax and stew
to replay countless times,
"Why did I say that!"
What did they mean by...
until the answer comes
You have been successful
when can you start...


Copyright G Goodman September 2008

First published on Qassia

Poetry and Efficiency in Business

Writing poetry is an exacting process and very view poems come out fully formed on the first attempt. To write a good poem you need to pare your words down to the bare minimum to express the meaning you wish to convey. The right word, phrase and rhythm pattern are very important.

I find the same thing when I am considering how to write a business report so that it will have maximum impact. A good report is crafted and needs to contain the right words to convey meaning.

Writing poetry hones your report writing and copyrighting skills.

DK

Business Travel

This poem is dedicated to those of you who partake in the joys of business travel...

Business Travel

Today I caught the red eye
Last week I caught the red eye
Last month I caught the red eye

I hate the red eye!

why can't the meetings
start at 11 instead of 8?
I would not get up early
and still
wouldn't be late

One hotel morphs
into another hotel
airport
looks like airport
the boredom is inane

I hate hotels!

why can't we all live together
and just walk to the meetings?
Time spent on traveling
would be spent on greetings

the only redeeming thing
is the people
the you's and me's
infinite
in variety

DK

Accountants

I inadvertently posted this on my business blog:

Accountants are delightful creatures
they do the things I hate,
with a smile
willingly.
Manipulating numbers
balancing books
debiting and crediting
while all I have to do
Is relax
Smell the flowers
and pay the bill

DK

Poetry and Politics

I have just read a very interesting article in the Aug 28 edition of the Hindu Times which is relevant to the topic of this blog. The article is by GAURAV KAPOOR and talks about the poetry of Kapil Sibal, who is the Science and Technology Minister for India.

Poetry in politics

Some quotes from the article follow:

Politics and poetry are poles apart. However, recently the story was different at ITC Maurya, New Delhi where Kapil Sibal, Science and Technology Minister India, launched his first book “I Witness: Partial Observations”. This Roli publication is a collection of his poetry on subjects like politics, lawyers, corruption, journalism, nature, moments of love etc, with a gentle sense of humour.

His poetry

addresses issues like global warming, the trust vote and happenings in Parliament. He also recited a few of his rhymes. “I wrote what I wanted to and never restricted myself. In politics I stick to the party line but as a poet there is no boundary.” Being a science and technology minister he made an appropriate use of technology, as he said, “I have composed poems on my cell phone in free time.”

.

That is my kind of politician. I am taking the generous view that politics is a business. I like the thought that poetry has no boundaries. It is heartening to see such a person extolling the uses and virtues of the poetic calling. Poetry is not (or not just) for the ivory towers of academia, it is prevalent wherever there is life...

Ciao

DK

The Sceptic

Bah, humbug
Poetry's not for me
From day to night
I'm working hard
To stack up cash
for God knows what
while all around me
poetry flows

But unaware
My business writings
crisp and clean
reflect
the poets art
Their careful crafting
copyright
Are stanzas
plucked from
business
life

Why does Poetry have such a bad rep?

When I was growing up, poetry was considered a very borderline activity. Reading and/or writing poetry was considered to be a sissy activity. At that stage I had no interest in poetry. It was not until I was in my 30's that I started to get some appreciation of poetry. I read some of the poems from the First World War, especially those of Sassoon, and was touched by their reality and grittiness. This was a different kind of poetry from the birds, bees and flowers stuff I was used to dismissing.

I began to see that poetry was a very effective way to crystallize powerful emotions. The very fact that poems tend to be shorter than prose, means that thought has to go into how you will craft the piece. THis crystallization process is what puts the punch into poetry.

Most business communication is terse and short. Business people do not appreciate flowery communications in the business situation. The goal is to communicate in a brief but succinct manner. This is a point of intersection between poetry and business.

DK

Seeing the Poetic in your Business

Most of us have the opportunity to see the poetic in our workplaces. We work with people who are endlessly fascinating, we sometimes do tasks and activities that allow us to get into the zone. The art is to see the poetry in motion. In fact the word poetry comes from the Greek word poieo - which means "to do".

I See Poetry

I see poetry everywhere
in the office
in the tearoom
and on
the factory floor

The beautiful face
the friendly smile
the impassioned
debate

All work is the flow
of poieo
of doing
of being
and
seeing with the
inner eye
of the muse

DK

First Published on Qassia

Specification

Why is it that person specifications always sound like the search for a higher being?

They never say
We are looking for someone
with average
communication skills
or a person who has normal
interpersonal skills

No we are strangled
with excellence
where do all the
people come from
to fill these god like
person specifications?

I think they
are imaginary people
who live
in the imaginations
of human resource
practitioners.

First published on Qassia

What is an MBS?

You may be asking, why is this guy calling himself The MBS Poet. In Kiwi (New Zealand) parlance an MBS is a Masters in Business Studies. Unlike the MBA, the MBS is a research degree.

I can put in a plug here for Massey University. This university has the biggest postgraduate business program in the Southern hemisphere.

Massey

Massey made me
Who I am
Half a poet and
Half a man
But what they
didn't really see
Was my regard
for poetry

have a great day

DK

Meetings - A Lament

O how I hate meetings
Nothing gets done
the wind blows
from the mouths
of pompous attendees

Some sleep
Some gaze
blankly at the wall
or out the window
Their minds blissfully disengaged

While I sit there
wondering
when will
the real work
get done

Copyright The MBS Poet

First published on Qassia

Coffee - my First Published Poem

This poem was written while I was waiting for a client to meet me for a meeting over coffee. I was just sitting down enjoying a break and watching the other Customers.

COFFEE

The new ambrosia
Dark pungent brew
Surrounded by the urban glitterati
I muse


Spot the type
The flat white, insipid and weak
The long black express to go
The cappucino fluffy blonde
And me
Surrounded by the maelstrom
Of life

First Published in Blackmail 18 (http://www.blackmailpress.com/GG18.html)

DK

Way to Go: Business and Poetry

Hi There

This is blog one of the MBS Poet. I have taken inspiration from the lives and poetry of Wallace Stevens, T.S Eliot and Dana Goia who are all business people who wrote (and in Goia's case still writes) poetry.

Just because someone has a business degree (in my case a Masters in Business Studies)doesn't mean that they don't appreciate poetry and literature.

This blog will feature some of my poetry (some of which is truly awful i.e. bad poetry) and thoughts on the interface between business and poetry, or the business of poetry.

Cheers

DK