Why did the chicken cross the road?

In Key West (where this shot is from), chickens cross the road because they own the town!

Chickens everywhere. I like that this one was nice enough to use the crosswalk. Here’s another fun chicken shot...This family runs the bike rental kiosk.

This mom and her brood are trying to catch ice cream truck.

This big fella is trying to impress the chicks......

Part of the charm of a place like Key West is its quirks. Hemingway cats, Jimmy Buffet, sunsets, conch chowder, odd people (like the tin man who rides his bike around town - he’s painted silver) and key lime pie. If you look at the town from a purely objective view, Key West could look and feel pretty dysfunctional.

Same goes for organizations. It is important to acknowledge and appreciate your company’s quirks. Laugh a little, let it be a source of pride and fun. A medium sized company I used to work for was highly dysfunctional but had just enough interesting quirks to help balance the experience out. It was like Key West in a way.

Yes, dysfunctional is bad and as on OD professional, I live to stamp it out. But...But... But, along the way, it is important to enjoy the quirks and do the best work possible. Most dysfunction is not deadly, it’s just dumb. We give it power when we allow it to become an issue.

Attention makes things real. Pay attention to what aggravates you and it will become more real and more aggravating.

There may be chicken poop everywhere, but the chickens run the town, how cool is that? BTW: On a tangent, when I was in Key West last year, I was told that the town’s only chicken catcher gave up the gig because it was not worth the aggravation and he did not end up making enough money (he was paid per chicken and they are quite fast!).

We all have to make personal decisions about whether a work environment is a good match for us, but before you bail, try laughing a bit.

I've got too many toes! (Hemingway Cat)