
a book
Orbiting the Giant Hairball
Gordon Mackenzie · 1998 · 224 pages
Creativity is crucial to business success. But too often, even the most innovative organization quickly becomes a "giant hairball"--a tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, traditions, and systems, all based on what worked in the past--that exercises an inexorable pull into mediocrity. Gordon McKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, many of which he spent inspiring his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit--to a mode of dreaming, daring and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares the story of his own professional evolution, together with lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.
Originally self-published and already a business "cult classic", this personally empowering and entertaining look at the intersection between human creativity and the bottom line is now widely available to bookstores. It will be a must-read for any manager looking for new ways to invigorate employees, and any professional who wants to achieve his or her best, most self-expressive, most creative and fulfilling work.
recommended by 3 people
sourced from public statements

Tim Kastelle
“Good book! Glad you survived the primitive tech @matt_perez - I’m grappling with one of those glued together paper things right now too - Four (+1) Studios by Ann Pendleton-Jullian, which is excellent.”↗

Bob Sutton
“My favorite creativity book? So many choices! I love @francescagino's and @steingreenberg's stuff. My top pick:"Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by the late Gordon McKenzie, the "creative paradox" at Hallmark. His spirit, stories, and wisdom are irresistible”↗
