Orbiting the Giant Hairball

I never thought I would be writing a book recommendation post about a school book. Well, I take that back. I read some good books during my undergraduate degree, but they were more scholarly and not exactly good for reviewing.

If you want to read a book that’s just weird, ‘Orbiting the Giant Hairball‘ is it.  It’s not weird in the same way as, say, tiny crablike creatures inhabiting the earth, but it’s still out there.  You have to have experienced work in a corportate or semi-corporate setting to understand the weirdness in it.  That said, it is a business-like book, but don’t let the word business deter you – it’s not a real business book.

This author worked at Hallmark for years and now takes the reader on a journey through many of his experiences there.  He describes Hallmark as a Giant Hairball, sucking everything into it with it’s powerful gravitational pull.  It especially sucks in creativity and individuality, then squashes it in its giant, hairy mass.  The author, however, never got sucked in.  He “orbited” the hairball.  He was part of the organization, but never an organizational casualty.

The hairball is everything that you hate about your job.  Gray cubicles, white walls, stodgy suits, corporate backstabbing, politics, and so on.  People might hate the hairball at first, but then they get raises, promotions and pats on the back by superiors until they have become one with the hairball.  The book’s author never let that happen to him.  He stood out – way out.  He found a way to submit to superiors without really submitting.  The way in which he did this is the fun part of the book so I’ll leave it up to you to read it.

You’ll like it, I promise.  You might not think everyone can do what he did, but it’s a fun read anyway.

Tags: Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Gordon MacKenzie, Hallmark, corporate culture, books