Jack Kerouac Defined High Perfomers in 1957
Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by Frank Roche
Jack Kerouac went on the road and wrote down what he saw. On The Road wouldn’t have been the literary sensation it was if Kerouac just sat in a room and imagined the characters he wrote about. He lived it.
And that’s our HR Lesson for the Day: Live it, don’t imagine it. Don’t hang out in your office; get out there and talk to people. Real people. Great HR isn’t theoretical, it’s experiential. Think about how Kerouac described what we’d call “high performers.”
The only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk, mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or
say a commonplace thing,
but burn, burn, burn,
like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars
and in the middle you see the
blue centerlight pop and
everybody goes “Awww!”
–Jack Kerouac, On The Road, 1957
Kudos to brickgrrl, who reminded me of this quote a while ago. She lives it.
[Photo credit: The Velvet Goldmine]
Ron Ulrici
Aug 26th, 2008
Frank, I had a boss who told me that he would fire me if I didn't get out of my office more. He was right then and you are right now.
Frank
Aug 26th, 2008
Ron, I'm a fan of that attitude. In sales, it's about windshield time, and in HR, it's about the people. I know the ones who do it well, like you, get out there and mix it up. It's that ability to think on your feet that you get when you're out in the operation. The HR cubicle farm is no place to grow up.
Strahan
Aug 27th, 2008
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
Frank
Aug 27th, 2008
I was going to invoke Dobie Gillis in the title, but figured that might be a bit obscure…but not for you. Snap on, beatnik.
Ron Ulrici
Aug 27th, 2008
I am chagrined – I didn't get the snap thing until you brought up Dobie Gillis. The beatnik, of course, was Maynard G. Crebs (sp?). “Work???”
Now, that we are playing trivia, who played the cute blond?
Frank
Aug 27th, 2008
Okay, I know this one — Tuesday Weld. I kinda had a crush on her in the 60s. We used to watch Dobie Gillis reruns in the late 60s. I liked her and Ann Margrock from The Flintstones. At the time I didn't know there was a real Ann Margaret.
Ron Ulrici
Aug 27th, 2008
Stop bragging, you young-un! When I saw Dobbie Gillis, they weren't reruns!
Brian
Aug 27th, 2008
That Kerouac quote was my senior quote in high school!
Those inspired by Kerouac would probably enjoy You and I, a song by Brian Bourque.
Enjoy!
Frank
Aug 27th, 2008
Brian, that quote really says a lot. And, hey, I really enjoyed the song. Thanks for that link…very cool. Really great song…I'm blasting it right now in the office!
Frank
Aug 27th, 2008
Brian, that quote really says a lot. And, hey, I really enjoyed the song. Thanks for that link…very cool. Really great song…I'm blasting it right now in the office!