Taking A Big Stick To Coventional Wisdom - With Both Hands

Late again this week, thanks to a gang of specialists rummaging about in my underdrawers.  Luckily, as if my small clothes were not amusing enough, the grandchilden keep us entertained every single day.

The Kid's older sister, known locally in some circles as "little girl, big pipes", was determined to deliver Les Miz' On My Own for her Middle School Winter Musicale.  Her vocal coach was outraged: "Absolutely not!  Inappropriate!  Too mature!  Too demanding! Beyond her capabiities!  Embarrassing if it doesn't work!  Overshadows all the work of her classmates!"

Strong-willed, as well as talented, she did the song anyway.  Knocked it out of the park, eliciting roars of amazed appreciation from the sudience.  Made grown men cry, and their daughters reconsider career directions.

The point is this.  Don't be afraid to break the rules, to attempt what others fear to try.  If you are confident in your abilities, and bring on your "A" game, there is every chance that you'll be able to get those same roars of appreciation.  In our supply chain world, the roars will come from the CEO and CFO.  And, you'll get a shot at an encore, often with even  more at stake. 

In Les Miserables,the song is, in many ways, Eponine's redemption in our hearts.  In business, pulling off its equivalent confers a redemption of its own.