Put Me In, Coach!

Recently, I was asked by the higher ups at my monolith corporate news network to concoct a plan to help usher the Los Angeles bureau into the modern age and enhance our presence on the Internet.

Here it was - my big chance. The rookie being called up to take the field on Sunday.

Before I go any further, I think I should state that while I might have a tendency to appear to know it all most of the time, if your Fortune 500 company suddenly decides it might be a good idea to ask me how to navigate the uncertain waters of the future, you've got far bigger problems than not knowing whatever it is you're asking me to figure out.

That said, I accepted their challenge and developed a comprehensive 25 page plan detailing how we could accomplish our goals. It was presented a week later and was very well received. Even when the talk turned to how much it could potentially cost, the optimism about my ideas was palpable. The crowd was buzzing. A second meeting was called, this time with the bureau's technical directors, and again, the response was favorable and it looked like we might be on our way to the big game.

Of course, I should probably mention that this particular plan involved a concept that can cause even the most seasoned executives and managers to shudder... change. And not just any variety of change... but the premium brand known as "paradigm shift."

Me? I'm just an underling. So in order to make something like my little plan happen, it's up to the executives and managers to take the ball and run for the end-zone. If I'm lucky, I'll get to watch the big game from the sidelines, but in reality, I'll likely end up with some decent seats somewhere near the 20 yard line.

Imagine my disappointment when a week later, my executive producer calls me into the office to ask me, "is there anything else we can be doing?" As if to say, "in the multi-tiered plan you spent more than a week developing and revising, is there anything you might not have told us? You know, some secret play you were going to spring on us by calling an audible on a crucial 4th and goal?"

Ummm. No?

My dreams of tasting the thrill of victory from the 20 yard line were turning into a reality of watching the game on a TV with tin-foil rabbit ears, enjoying a burnt hot dog in a parking lot adjacent to the stadium.

I wonder if it's too late in the season to declare free-agency.