Dogs at work: cliche or necessity? And why are youre coworkers doing it? Detriment or delight?
What’s the solution?
The Tale of Alvin and Bortikoff
Alvin Changes His Perspective
Alvin Commerika of Portland, Oregon, was tired of the 87 dogs bedding down at his place of employment each day.
As Alvin, a notorious dog snubber, considered his options, he decided to use an approach his coworkers wouldn’t expect.
For $1200 Alvin bought a fully grown purebred great dane, enrolled it in obedience school, then sent it to attack school where it was taught to attack when given commands in German.
“Ill never forget the day i showed up with Bortikoff,” says Commerika. “People literally parted the waters for me. Little yappy dogs whimpered and quivered. When Pokey, the shi-tzu, snapped at Bortikoff, he growled and barked so loud that everybody left me alone for the rest of the day.”
Alvin And Bortikoff Beat The Boardroom
Alvin soon found that Bortikoff gave him office cache, especially in the board room.
Meetings in which Comerika used to be ignored or patronized because he was “canine free”—a derogatory term tossed around in the office to denote anybody lacking a dog companion—became moments of grandeur, replete with accolades and approbation.
Meanwhile Bortikoff, seated next to Comerkia, glared at the others, including Comerika’s boss.
When Comerika felt the meeting running against him, or if one of his ideas was shot down, he used Bortikoff’s physical prowess, and presence, to realign the meeting. Comerika might fling a bloody piece of meat into the air. Bortikoff would leap onto the table and snatch the meat mid-flight, trot up and down the table, then lay in front of Comerika and tear at the meat.
Alvin Rises Higher
Soon word had spread that Comerika was no ordinary employee.
In fact, on the company’s Canine Mental Health Day, the visiting pet psychologist found in Bortikoff a reflection of the dog’s owner.
Word of this revelation went up the corporate ladder.
Soon, Commerika displaced his supervisor, and within a year Comerika, with Bortikoff in tow, was tapped to lead the company.
I’m Josh Litton, keep floating to the top.
What Lessons Can We Learn?
1. It’s Good To Be The Big Dog
The moral of this tale is that it’s good to be the big dog. And when you bring a big dog to work, you may become the big dog.
But how does this work?
2. Stand Out From Your Peers
A deeper and more profound lesson deals with our tendency to fear standing out in the crowd by thinking big.
Clearly alvin wasn’t afraid to stand out. He was content not to have a dog.
Then, when he got a dog and brought it to the office, he bought the biggest dog he could find. Bortikoff was so big that he overwhelmed all the other dogs.
Those who fear standing out, and as a consequence fear climbing the ladder–both evidenced by the dog they bring to work–can’t climb the ladder.
But notice what happened to Alvin: because he wasn’t afraid to stand out, he shot right to the top.
When it comes to dogs in the workplace, the small ones are cute, but for those who have authority to promote and demote, the small dog says “small ambition.”
What does your dog say about you?
Is it all fun and games? Or are you offering subtle, career-derailing signals to your boss?
Alvin was promoted quickly because his choice of dog said, “Hey, I’m worthy of the promotion, I think big, I’m ready to go big.”
3. Think Big To Go Big
And that’s another point: It’s only by thinking big, and showing the bigness of our thinking with our choice of dogs, that we can convince the powers that be that their time is at an end, and soon we will be the powers that be.
Alvin’s choice of dog showed his boss and those above his boss that he wasn’t afraid to push them out of the way. He wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around.
Sure, disregard Alvin all you like, but sooner or later he’ll float to the top. That dog says it all.
And he did. With Bortikoff’s help, he floated to the top.
Remember, before you take your dog to work, to ask yourself this question: What does this dog say about me?
Put yourself in your supervisor’s place. The answer may surprise you.
Mmmmkay?
