Last week we looked at Prep and Landing and the importance of everyone doing their part.  This week I want us to reflect on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  More specifically, I want us to think about the Island of Misfit Toys.

In case you’re not familiar with the story of Rudolph let me give you a synopsis.  Essentially, it’s a story of misfits.  Rudolph is a misfit because his nose glows red.  Hermey is a misfit, because he is an elf who wants to be a dentist instead of a toy maker.  Rudolph and Hermey run away and end up on the Island of Misfit Toys.  The island is home to toys who don’t exactly work in the typical way and/or toys that look different from the norm.  For example, there is a train with square wheels, a polka dotted elephant, and a Charlie-in-the-Box (instead of a Jack-in-the-box).  Eventually, everyone realizes that even though Rudolph and his friends are “misfits” they are still good people.  Even though the toys might be different, they can still bring joy to children.  By the end of the show, people finally begin to accept them for who they are.

You might already be making some connections between this story and life.  The way I think about it, we are all humans, which means to some degree we are all misfits or at least we have all felt like we didn’t fit in at some point in our lives.  If you connect this idea to work, it means we aren’t all going to fit the mold and that’s okay.  Even if you don’t fit “the mold” you can still be great at whatever you do.  I work in market research and am amazed at how talented everyone is and how different we all are.  While we are all different from each other, we are all able to help the business define problems, understand customers, and make decisions.  In my case, I might be a polka dotted elephant, but my polka dotted elephantness works for me.  In the same token, I know all kind of people in sales, operations, HR, legal, medical, regulatory, etc. who are great for different reasons.  We all have our own idiosyncrasies, strengths, and styles that shape us and enable us to be successful.

Another connection can be made if you look at life in a broader sense.  Just because we are misfits doesn’t mean we are undeserving of love.  The thing that has always bothered me the most about Rudolph is that a lot of people treated him like garbage, because his nose glowed.  It’s not because Rudolph was a jerk.  It’s not because Rudolph was an uncaring animal.  It’s because his nose glowed.  We are all misfits.  We all deserve love and we all should give love to everyone else.

The challenge: Are you embracing your inner misfit?  Are you giving love to the people around you?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry