Running as a metaphor
#66 in the Green Goldfish Project – Ooyala
Taken from post by Adam Sewall:
A group of us headed south to tackle Ragnar Southern California, a 203-mile relay race between Huntington Beach and San Diego. Picture 12 dudes piled into two vans. Picture non-stop running. Picture Sean Knapp, Ooyala’s CTO, singing along to “Welcome to the Jungle” at the top of his lungs somewhere between Carlsbad and Solana Beach. You get the idea…
As with any group undertaking, we learned a number of important life lessons:
- Sean should never be allowed to sing Karaoke
- Cheddar Goldfish are the world’s greatest energy food
- There’s no “i” in “team,” but there is in “aspirin,” “ice,” and “pizza”
- Contrary to what you might think, spending 20+ straight hours with co-workers can actually be a blast
- It was an incredible journey. And despite having some decidedly slow runners on the team (e.g., yours truly) we somehow managed to place second, with an average pace of 6:24. Not bad for a bunch of desk jockeys, right?”
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra thrown in for good measure) – Here’s a YouTube video with the founders of ooyala and the use of running as a metaphor. Here’s another showcasing the culture:
The Green Goldfish Project is a quest to find 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe for employees. Green goldfish are the little signature extras given to employees. They help differentiate a company, increase employee retention and drive positive WoM.
