Management of the Absurd
I recently read two fantastic books: “Management of the Absurd” by Richard Farson and “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely. Both are research-supported, readable takes on the fascinating phenomenons of people and organizations. I won’t tell you exactly what the lessons are because I’m sure to misstate something and they’re too good and too short for you not to read yourself. Some of my favorite parts, though, were the quotes they included.
“I never put off until tomorrow what I can do the day after.” – Oscar Wilde
“The better things are, the worse they feel.” – Richard Farson
“Work expands to fill the time available.” – C. Northcote Parkinson
“The CEO of a medium-sized electronics company once told me that in one day he was able to completely change the shape of the organization, flatten the organization chart, and eliminate several layers of management — but it took days to persuade one person to move his desk ten feet.” – Richard Farson
“The reason university faculty discussions and disputes are so time consuming and acrimonious is that the stakes are so low.” Attributed to Henry Kissinger.
“So many brilliant leaders in my field are, in their own personal dealings, extremely difficult individuals who are clearly in less than optimal psychological health.” – Richard Farson
“One cannot be too thin or too rich.” – Barbara Paley
“If you freshly paint your worst wall, the other three will look shabby.” – E. Foss
“When it comes down to a choice between productivity and any number of other values and behaviors – such as maintaining the status quo or holding on to one’s stereotypes – it becomes immediately apparent that productivity is seldom our paramount goal.” – Richard Farson
“Evidence to support one’s beliefs is remarkably easy to find.” – Richard Farson
“Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.” – James Stewart as Mr. Smith
“If absurdity is ubiquitous, if the most important goals are lost causes, why do we keep playing this absurd game? We play it because it is the only game in town. Of course it is absurd. Of course it is only a game. But it is a game well worth playing – and worth playing well.” – Richard Farson
“Son, I already know how to be twice as good a farmer as I am.” – Old farmer to the young government agricultural agent.
“Therefore I deliberately end here, not with advice, but by returning to the unresolved paradoxes that truly characterize the human condition.” – Richard Farson
