It Takes A Licking And Keeps On Ticking!

Today’s title comes from a series of commercials back in the 50’s and 60’s hosted by respected newscaster John Cameron Swayze. The ads were filmed torture tests for Timex watches where the timepieces were put through a variety of different extreme situations to see if they would continue running. They were subjected to many forces from being frozen in an ice cube tray, tied to the leg of a racehorse, and even strapped to Mickey Mantle’s bat. At the end of the test the watch would be handed to John Cameron and with a close up of the watch face on the screen he would proudly announce the now famous words…”It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”

I have my own Timex testing story but with a very different twist. The Chicago based company where I worked as a management consultant for eighteen months was a very high profile computer equipment leasing company. As a multi-billion dollar enterprise, marketing and sales dominated the culture there. Everything revolved around deal making and because of this they had a number of very top dollar sales people. Because of this emphasis and big deals being a key success factor, the sales and management staff were very aware of their need to not only be successful but to also look the part. Therefore, everyone wore expensive suits and Rolex watches and diamond rings, cufflinks, and imported shoes.

They were very clued in to these indicators and were constantly pursuing new ways to distinguish themselves. They had no way of knowing I did not fit into their mold. I was at their company at the request of their founder who was revered among the staff. I reported to an executive committee that essentially ran the company, therefore, they figured I must really be “somebody”. I did wear what I considered to be nice Men’s Wearhouse business suits and I did keep my shoes shined and I did try to fit in. I certainly had no problems gaining access to any and all people and areas because they all considered me to have a special connection. This was a gross overestimation of my power but that was fine with me because I needed as much access as possible to get my work done.

Because of this prevailing focus on the flashy and mover and shaker deal making, attending meetings there were a blast. Often they became a show of style over substance and antics over actual contribution to seeing the company move forward. One weekend while I was at home in Texas I accidentally broke the watchband on my gold watch. I needed a watch until this one could be repaired so I ran to K-Mart and purchased an inexpensive replacement. I found a Timex for less than $30. It was black with a vinyl strap but it did look very distinctive.

The following week I was back in Chicago and found myself in a meeting with a number of their high profile people. They were doing their normal “Can you top this?” routines and then I noticed several of them had spotted my new watch. They wondered what kind of watch I had. One asked if I had purchased one with a rare eel skin strap. Another wanted to know if it was one he had heard about that was imported from Africa. To me this was hilarious. I told them I had come to talk about wasted resources, not watches. This only made them more curious; therefore, I made sure my suit coat sleeve kept the watch covered enough to keep them guessing. Man oh man, the games people play!

This preoccupation with externals reminds me of the story in the Bible about God choosing a young shepherd boy named David to be the next king of Israel. Everyone including Samuel the Prophet thought it should be someone with the stature, the bearing, and the looks of a king, but God said he looked on the heart and not on the outward appearance. This would have been an excellent lesson for my former associates in Chicago. John Cameron Swayze would have been proud. He had attached Timex watches to paint mixers and boat motors but in the world of the unsurpassed G-forces associated with the powers of prestige and pretension, my little K-Mart Timex had taken a licking and came out ticking. More later………….