Client Service And The Offsite (Part 2)

The more I think about (Part 1) of my review of The Offsite, the more I realize that while I covered one of the major threads found in the book, there are certainly many, many more.

For today, I want to share my favorite story as told by the fictional, but admirable CEO Gordon Murphy in the chapter titled: Embrace the Struggle.

"One day when I was just a kid, I found a cocoon dangling from a small tree limb. I was going to cut it down and put it in a jar so I could watch it hatch, but then I decided to go back and check on it every day instead. I did this for a few days and nothing happened. But one day, I noticed a small hole at the top of the cocoon and I was so excited because I could see the future butterfly wiggling around a bit inside. I tried to be patient to wait for the bug to emerge on its own, but curiosity got the better of me and I thought I would help him get out, so I used my pocketknife to cut a bigger hole. It seemed to be working because the butterfly moved around even more. So I got excited and cut the cocoon all the way open. I couldn't wait to see him spread his wings and fly. But then the saddest thing happened. The butterfly flopped out of the cocoon onto the dirt below, and as it struggled to open its wings, it just gave up and died. Do you know why?...It turns out that the struggle to emerge from the cocoon is actually part of the growth process for butterflies...If they don't push against the boundaries of their casing, their wings don't develop the strength they need to fly."

The message is crystal clear. (And no, it's not "never give a young boy a pocketknife!") It's of course a powerful metaphor for our own struggles and just one of several wonderful stories shared in this book.

Read the book and discover your own favorite story and favorite character. You've read my choice for story, and my favorite character is Sam. You'll learn that of all the jobs he could have had at the hotel, it's no accident that he's the gardener.