It's Friday, and I've been writing long posts lately, so here's a simple idea: A metaphor is a mixed drink. In business, we use a lot of metaphors, some better than others.
Some are easy for beginners. They're simple and sweet, and they lose their appeal over time.
Some are difficult at first, but surprisingly good when you figure them out.
Some are old, traditional, and still on point. The classics.
Some are just outdated.
Some pack a lot of ingredients into a simple effect. All that work for so little result.
Some are gimmicky and less clever than they think. Sparkly!
Some appear simple but are capable of important subtleties.
Some look better than they are.
Some think they're metaphors but are actually similes.
The next time you're stuck in a meeting and the metaphors start to fly, you can amuse yourself by figuring out which drink a metaphor would be. It's more stealthy than shouting "bingo" after one too many clichés.
Happy weekend.
Photo by Kurman Communications, Inc.
