Lubbock Left

The above ad is so hilarious to me on so many levels.

First off, the timing. This is probably the worst time to try to sell a corporate jet. Cessna (which, overall, is a great company IMO) is having a very-brave-or-very-foolish moment here that we get to watch.

Second, the audience. I picture a CEO having a bad week, sitting in business class, flipping through his in-flight magazine, when he sees this ad. Maybe he cries a little into his tiny airplane beer.

Third, the language. Let’s have a look:

Timidity didn’t get you this far. Why put it in your business plan now?

Yes, timidity certainly didn’t factor into bringing us to the brink of financial ruin. A breakneck pace of bad investments, bad business decisions, and outright criminal/unethical behavior requires the same brave-but-stupid mindset that created this ad…

In today’s corporate world, pity the poor executive who blinks

…at the panel during the Congressional hearing.

The good news is, in trying times like these, fortune tends to favor those who make bold, decisive moves.

Oh good! This bodes well for our President and the voting public that put him in office.

It’s simply about adjusting, not retreating, starting with a good hard look at your flight department.

Replace “flight department” with “cabinet” and you’ve got another eerily prescient quote. (Good riddance, Senator Gregg!)

Because, in tempestuous times, leaders recognize it’s not about ego. Or artifice. It’s simply about availing yourself of the full range of tools to do your job.

Right on, Cessna ad. In that spirit, it’s time we started using government to solve problems rather than to create them. We will finally tackle the issues of our society rather than paying them lip service while systematically dismantling programs that could help.

Who knew there could be such wisdom from Madison Ave?