http://www.slowleadership.org/blog Stories to help you return humanity and fun to your working life. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:21:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en A series of stories through which Coyote the Trickster shares his irreverent thoughts — and sometimes some unexpected wisdom — on how to cope with today's most difficult and stressful situations at work and beyond. Stories to help you return humanity and fun to your working life. Carmine Coyote leadership,management,business skills,self-help,careers,self-development, no Adrian Savage carmine.coyote@gmail.com http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/09/coyote-and-the-jackalope/ http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/09/coyote-and-the-jackalope/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:55:31 +0000 Carmine Coyote http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=1266 http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/09/coyote-and-the-jackalope/feed/ Another podcast tale from Coyote and friends Coyote meets a Jackalope, discovers the truth about the mythical beast (or at least this particular example of it) and gives an impromptu lesson about the importance of being authentic. Here’s how the story starts: When Badger told Coyote he’d just seen a Jackalope, Coyote laughed. Now Badger doesn’t have what you would call a sunny disposition, so Coyote’s skepticism made him mad. “I suppose you think I’ve been eating those hallu…hallu…funny plants,” he said. “I’m sober as Owl, I’ll have you know. But since clever Mr. Coyote knows so much—and clever Mr. Coyote thinks Badger is hallu…hallu…off his head—he’ll be the only animal who doesn’t see the Jackalope—and serve him right!” And with that, Badger stomped away towards his den, mumbling under his breath. A Jackalope? Coyote knew the old stories: the jackrabbit crossed with an antelope, like a nearly deer-sized rabbit with horns. Surely it was a myth, like Bigfoot or The Abominable Snowman…wasn’t it? The Jackalope was the Southwest’s very own mythical creature, not something you could walk across the Sonoran desert to see on a warm Tuesday afternoon. Naturally, curiosity soon got the better of Coyote, as it always does, so he set out, following Badger’s tracks back into the desert. Soon other tracks began to converge on the same path: mice, rabbits, packrats, prairie dogs—even a fox and some deer. It seemed word had spread and the animals were keen to take a look for themselves. The path wound amongst the mesquites and saguaros, heading towards a clump of cottonwoods at the edge of a dry creek. As he got closer, Coyote could hear a low humming and mumbling, like hundreds of people whispering to one another. Whatever it was, it was drawing a crowd. Instructions You can listen to the story here, using this built-in, Flash MP3 player. (Length: 9m 56s) Alternatively, you can listen to the audio files through your computer or by downloading them to another device. To listen to the audio files through your computer, use your mouse to left-click on the link below. To download the files, right-click, select ‘Save as’ or ‘Save link as’ and specify the destination to which you would like to save the file. Using Safari, you can right- or Control-click and choose ‘Download linked file’. I hope you enjoy it. Sign up for our Email Newsletter Technorati Tags: authenticity, being yourself, coping with disappointment, Jackalope, Coyote Tales addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slowleadership.org%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fcoyote-and-the-jackalope%2F'; addthis_title = 'Coyote+and+The+Jackalope'; addthis_pub = ''; Coyote meets a Jackalope, discovers the truth about the mythical beast (or at least this particular example of it) and gives someone an impromptu lesson about the importance of being authentic. [Podcast] http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyote-and-the-big-idea/ http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyote-and-the-big-idea/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:28:13 +0000 Carmine Coyote http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=982 http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyote-and-the-big-idea/feed/ This post is part of the “Coyote Tales” seriesCoyote’s Workplace TalesCoyote and The Big Idea Another podcast tale from Coyote himself Coyote deals with an unfortunate outbreak of BS that threatens the smooth running of his part of the world. When Badger gets confused and Owl suffers from toxic contamination, it takes someone like Coyote to sort it all out — and have some fun at the same time. Here’s how the story starts: Coyote was used to Badger’s moodiness, but he’d never seen his old friend quite as downhearted as this. It seemed all the life had drained out of him, leaving him without even the energy to eat. That really alarmed Coyote. One thing you could be sure of with Badger was his appetite. ”It’s Owl,” Badger said. “I know I’m not very clever, Coyote, but I never realized just how dumb I am until Owl pointed it out. I mean, there’s no hope for me. I’ve never even had a small one.” ”A small what?” Coyote asked, inwardly vowing to deal with Owl later. ”Idea. Owl said I must have a big idea to prove I can think outside the box.” Badger turned tearful eyes towards Coyote. “But he wouldn’t tell me which box. And I don’t even have a box — not any kind of box. So how can I think while being outside it? There’s no hope, is there?” ”What else did Owl say? “ Coyote asked. ”That I needed a big, hairy, audacious goal. Well . . . I think he said goal. Maybe it was gull. Some of those seagulls are very big, aren’t they? And audacious. But not hairy. Do you think he meant some kind of spider? There are some very big, hairy spiders around here. They taste good, too. Honestly, I’m so confused.” Instructions You can listen to the story here, using this built-in, Flash MP3 player. Alternatively, you can listen to the audio files through your computer or by downloading them to another device. To listen to the audio files through your computer, use your mouse to left-click on the link below. To download the files, right-click, select ‘Save as’ or ‘Save link as’ and specify the destination to which you would like to save the file. Using Safari, you can right- or Control-click and choose ‘Download linked file’. I hope you enjoy it. Sign up for our Email Newsletter Technorati Tags: BS, buzzwords, jargon, management jargon, thinking outside the box, seeing clearly, addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slowleadership.org%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2Fcoyote-and-the-big-idea%2F'; addthis_title = 'Coyote+and+The+Big+Idea'; addthis_pub = ''; Previous in series In another podcast, Coyote deals with an unfortunate outbreak of BS that threatens the smooth running of his part of the world. When Badger gets confused and Owl suffers from toxic contamination, it takes someone like Coyote to sort it all out — [...] Carmine Coyote no http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyotes-workplace-tales/ http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyotes-workplace-tales/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:55:12 +0000 Carmine Coyote http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=816 http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/2008/08/coyotes-workplace-tales/feed/ This post is part of the “Coyote Tales” seriesCoyote’s Workplace TalesCoyote and The Big Idea Introducing a new ‘author’ for Slow leadership Ever since we moved to Arizona, I have had a soft spot for coyotes. We see them fairly often around here, at all times of day. We hear their ‘concerts’ in the early evening, especially in Spring, when the high-pitched yips of the pups are added to the howling and yapping of their elders. Most look well fed and in good condition — though that doesn’t stop them from being a significant threat to people’s small pets. Most of you will already know that Coyote is a major figure in much Native American folklore. He’s a trickster, a bit of a rogue, always trying new ways to avoid effort and often getting into problems as a result. But he’s also a significant part of the creation, often adding oddities and creating quirks and alterations in the Creator’s designs — more often than not to the benefit of mankind. This ambivalence — part rogue and joker, part wise and creating spirit — was what drew me to the character of Coyote in the first place. It seemed particularly relevant to our world today, where few things are quite what they seem and even the best of intentions tend to run into the law of unexpected consequences. We certainly need wisdom, but not always of the all-too-serious, moralistic kind typically handed out by academic professionals and self-appointed gurus alike. We need something more earthy and practical — and hopefully more fun to hear about. That’s why, some time ago, I began to write my own, modern Coyote Tales. This is something of a cheek for an Englishman — appropriating an Native American character — but, in the spirit of Coyote himself, I did it anyway. These are the stories I’ll be sharing with you as podcasts. Some are fairly light-hearted, some more serious, but all of them try to carry a message for these times; usually the kind of message that I hope Coyote would approve of for its irreverence for conventions and subversive nature. “Coyote Teaches Time Management” Instructions You can listen to the story here, using this built-in, Flash MP3 player. Alternatively, you can listen to the audio files through your computer or by downloading them to another device. To listen to the audio files through your computer, use your mouse to left-click on the link below. To download the files, right-click, select ‘Save as’ or ‘Save link as’ and specify the destination to which you would like to save the file. Using Safari, you can right- or Control-click and choose ‘Download linked file’. I hope you enjoy it. Sign up for our Email Newsletter Technorati Tags: time management, managing your time, setting priorities, finding time for everything, making time for what matters addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slowleadership.org%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2Fcoyotes-workplace-tales%2F'; addthis_title = 'Coyote%26%238217%3Bs+Workplace+Tales'; addthis_pub = ''; Next in series In the first of our Coyote Tales, Coyote explains how to avoid overwork and exhaustion, while still getting things done — and why time management is rarely, if ever, the answer. [Podcast] Carmine Coyote 10:41 time management,handling stress,stress,self-help clean