Blowfish 121 Part 1

Let us talk about Blowfish.

Do you know if you type blowfish in the Google search engine, the first result that comes up is Blowfish Malibu? They sell shoes and sandals.

Where else do you reckon you will see blowfish? In the ocean? Of course, there are more than 120 species in saltwater alone. In exclusive Japanese fugu restaurants? Delicious, give me some more as the wealthy adventurous dare-devil connoisseurs would say.

And where else?

In the most unimaginable place.

Blowfish 121 is cunning and devious. Their sole purpose is to procreate, multiply their numbers, take on the victims and suck them dry. After occupying the ocean, they have metamorphosed to live on land, in the city, and in the most prestigious financial institutions where the resources are abundant, to be precise. There are six fun facts, or red flags I would say, about this species. They are instantly recognisable. When you see them, do not engage, avoid contact at all costs and move backwards as quickly and quietly as possible. Never turn your back, always keep your eyes on them as they may stab you in your back if you are not looking.

Blowfish 121 are spineless. When challenged, they would not stand up for what is right or oppose higher authority and are afraid of taking action. They would bend the truth to save their skin. They are weak cowards.

Let me give you an example.

Blowfish 121 is in her mid-fifties, overweight to the point of obese. Therefore, she always dresses in dark colours. When she sits down, she has the statue of a pyramid with a small head popped on top. It begs the question of what makes a woman neglect her health and appearance to this point. Because of her weight, she moves slowly, short of breath. What does not help either is her height. If she stretches her neck like a giraffe, she might reach five feet. When she walks into a room, no one notices her. She does not command any attention or respect. And she knows it, so much that she always picks up the CEO on the way to the meeting room so they can walk in together. It is safety by numbers.

She has been promoted to an executive position in the organisation where she has been there for ten years. She knows she did not get there by talents or personality alone. Ten years of flattery, networking and being the yes-man handed her a position at the executive committee table. It also means her position depends on always being the favourite of the month, always being the quiet little mouse, always smiling at the boss's jokes at the right time, never questioning his decisions, never challenging his expenses, and religiously keeping the rules for some people, and cunningly turning the blind eyes to some. It is George Orwell's Animal Farm in the modern financial world, four legs good, two legs better, at its finest.

She is not going to let anybody upset her nice little cushy job with high pay, not least the pretty young thing got sent from Head Office. On the surface, she welcomes the newbie with open arms, invites her to all the meetings and arranges one-to-one catch-up meetings. She has done all the right things, on paper. But underneath the surface, she does not send her materials, does not include her in the follow-up emails, and only sends her information after the meeting has started so that she does not have time to read through the documents and therefore cannot comment during the meeting. She would be mistaken to be unprepared. If she thinks the newbie is redundant, she should have said so. But no, she is spineless. She would not say anything to expose her true feelings and rock the boat. Passive aggressiveness will do. Be mean and make it unbearable to the newbie, soon she will be gone.

But the spineless Blowfish is not the most threatening. The worst is still to come.

#adayinthejungle #blowfish121 #spineless #officepolitics