It's All About the Haircuts

John Burke on TV
Originally uploaded by Darrell

Some buddies from church leaned on me hard until I agreed to spend a couple of days squeezing work in around a Christian-based "Leadership Summit." We didn't go to the actual event (it's in Chicago), but watched presenters like John Burke here on a big-screen TV.
(I figured it was okay to go to this thing since a senior vice president at work offered it up as a good idea).
The messages are valuable on many levels and I'm convinced that I will be glad I participated, but I am slightly annoyed by several distractions.
First: we are in a church watching this on TV. It's a big TV, but it's still...well, you know, a TV! So these guys get all preachy and motivaty (motivaty?) and then make a big point and finish with a flourish...and then the people around me START APPLAUDING! Um, Dude? Do you clap at movies? THEY'RE ON TV! THEY CANNOT HEAR YOU!
It's making me insane.
Then, there are the haircuts. All these speakers have these perfect heads of hair, a couple of the do's apparently just caked with product. And my man Burke here has this little soul patch thing going on. They're just too cool and perfect and good lookin' for me.
Honestly, I know it's me, but I'm having a hard time taking Mr. Soul Patch seriously.
The last thing that's bugging me: every one of these guys is selling a CD or a DVD or a series of books. Their messages are valuable, but they lose credibility with me every time they say something like, "I don't have time to go into that in depth here, but there's more about it in the book." Really? How convenient for me. It's nice that you made those materials available at your cost. Wait? What? That's not.....oh, sorry.
Call me a cynic (because I am), but I promise to go back and listen with an open mind, an open heart and a closed wallet. Can I get an amen?

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