A Peacock in the Land of Penguins

A Peacock in the land of Penguins, by BJ Gallagher Hateley and Warren H. Schmidt is a beautifully written,modern day corporate fable. It is a book on management, sure, but something more. It is about learning to work with all sorts of personalities and backgrounds, and drawing out true talent to make a beautiful product. A Peacock is that amazing person, the beautiful, creative, intelligent go getter that accomplishes what they want, and a penguin is, well, the guy that follows everyone else, is pretty average looking, and just tries to make it through the day. Every employer needs penguins, the kind who are focused and set in their ways and will get their job done, but a smart manager needs peacocks. This book really illustrates how everyone can become a peacock, and can use their creativity and talents in a way that is entirely unique. Everyone is different, and their are different birds to describe everyones style--an aggressive hawk, a powerful eagle, a vulture, the quiet swan. However, the beauty of a successful team is the culmination of everyones talents, of learning to accept, and appreciate differences, and not being afraid to show off how amazing you really are. With so much corporate pressure to be one way, to dress and talk and work according to rules, it is a refreshing perspective to know that diversity is mandatory for a team to truly become the best.