I’m probably labouring the metaphor but a further thought on the blancmange leveraging post.
I just did one of those online, multiple choice surveys. This one happened to be for United Airlines’ frequent flyer programme, specifically the membership pack they sent me.
It was the usual strange experience of trying to convey the reality of my feelings about an organisation through a janet-and-john filter.
So for instance, I’m asked if I’ve “received”, “received and read” or just “read” various items in a mailshot. I’m wondering how they think I’d read something I haven’t received. Also, one of the items is the frequent-flyer card. Have I read it? Err… what do you mean by “read”? I might have checked my name was spelt right, but is there something I might have missed?
Then I have to rate the “usefulness” of the items in the mailer. So how useful is the card? Well, in one sense it’s useless except as a symbol of my vaguely elite status. But am I rating the card itself or the demi-monde of privilege it signifies?
I could go on but it’s Sunday and I already lost one precious hour to the clock change, and I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about with these surveys anyway.
So if leaders are often leveraging blancmange, these surveys are trying to sieve it. I don’t know what would happen if you sieved the pictured blancmange but I’m sure it would be less pretty.
