Warning: This blog contains material that may be offensive to those with delicate sensibilities or a deep appreciation for Jack Bauer. Reader discretion is advised.
Let me clarify right at the outset that I am no fan of Jack Bauer. I have probably watched the series 24 for a total of 24 minutes, if not less. I get motion sickness from the way the camera and the story lurch from one crisis to another. It reminds me of my life. Which I try to escape by watching TV.
So, it is perfectly reasonable for you to ask what I was doing, Getting Naked with Jack Bauer. While eating. In public. And you may not be surprised or sympathetic to learn that he almost made me choke on my food and cough it up on the ladies at the next table. Turns out they worked in insurance, and were living the motto of their company. Like a good neighbor, State Farm was there. But I digress, which seems to happen quite frequently in these blogs.
So let’s recap where we were, or at least, where I was. I was Getting Naked with Jack Bauer while eating in public – at Panera, and he almost made me cough up my food. In general, I don’t have a problem with this. Depends on the specifics of the situation. For instance, it depends on how good the food is that is being coughed up. I was OK with the soup – it was terrible. Chicken with Wild Rice. Should never have ordered it in the first place. The sandwich, however, was a whole another story – Chipotle Chicken (no Bacon). Delicious. You must try it next time.
What I did not realize when I started Getting Naked was that Jack Bauer had a softer, vulnerable, more thoughtful side to him than the one I got to see in the 24 minutes of 24 have watched on TV. And that he would make me laugh so hard that I almost choked and coughed up my food. But that was only to be expected. The Jack Bauer in 24 on TV was different from the Jack Bauer in Panera with me. This one was the hero of Patrick Lencioni’s new book – Getting Naked.
Getting Naked is one of Patrick’s funniest and most insightful books. Clearly his best work of fiction so far. In this book, Patrick shares three simple, counter-intuitive ways for consultants to serve their customers and win their loyalty. At the heart of the book’s message is acknowledging our fears and not allowing them to dictate our choices.
To be human is to be fearful. We fear not finding what we are looking for. And we fear loosing what we have already found. If we are not careful, these fears can easily take control and dominate our actions. Reminds me of something one of my coaches – Judy Rosemarin once said to me…
“There is nothing wrong with the person who is scared BEING on the bus.
He just needs to stay at the back and stop DRIVING the bus.”
Powerful words to live by.
Patrick’s message in his book – Getting Naked, is similar. Using a gripping story that draws you in from page one, he uses the events in the life of Jack Bauer to teach us three simple principles we can apply to be better consultants in the face of fear. And although it takes courage to try out Patrick’s techniques, they work! I tried them and have some interesting stories to prove it.
So if you are in the mood for a good yarn, pick up his book, and start Getting Naked. But don’t do it while eating. And definitely not while eating in public 🙂
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