"It's All About The Alligators" Many years ago, I worked for a guy that always liked to express himself in idioms. He had a million of them. "get your ducks lined up" , "break a leg", "waste not want not", "take a load off", the list is endless.
But one of his favorites was this one. Quite honestly, at the time, I was never quite sure of what he meant, but I somehow knew that whatever solution I might have been presenting to the problem at hand, was not the solution that he was looking for.
Many years later, I still remember the words. and with the help of the internet, I think I now know what he was trying to say.
Here is the quote in its entirety:
"The objective of all dedicated employees is to thoroughly analyze all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems, and move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon. However, when you are up to your ass in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp."
This quote, often used in business, is about how unintended consequences can assume greater importance than the activity originally undertaken. . . I think.
Using a wooden game board, I spelled out the quote with Scrabble tiles. An articulated wood toy alligator is attached to add interest.
