What Percolator?

There was a fish… in the percolator! Sorry.

Fans of a certain TV show from 35 years ago recognise the reference right away. It’s a classic line from Twin Peaks, David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surreal and supernatural series about life in a tiny, rural town in America’s Pacific northwest.

But why is a technical leadership consultancy named after it? What does it have to do with the work we do?

The story of Twin Peaks has at its heart FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), who is sent to the tiny logging town of Twin Peaks to investigate a murder. When he is interviewing resident Pete Martell (Jack Nance) about the incident, Pete suddenly realises he has absent-mindedly left a fish in the percolator he used to brew coffee for Agent Cooper and the local sheriff.

The town of Twin Peaks is full of absurdity - things that don’t quite add up and people who behave in unexpected ways - but, because of its isolation, the locals treat these as normal everyday life.

Agent Cooper is an outsider who comes into their world with all kinds of experience from the city. But instead of imposing his ways of thinking on the locals, he embeds himself in their culture and gets to know them as people - as individuals. He learns what makes living in this town great and he adapts perfectly to his surroundings. And he keeps his ears open and listens for things that contradict his worldview: he embraces the absurdity of this little town.

This is something like how it is when you hire me and Fish Percolator to come to your team and learn what’s working and what’s not, and then help you to fix it.

Like Dale, I believe these things are true:

• Every member of a team has their own individual motivation and needs in the workplace.
• Just because something has always been some way doesn’t mean it can’t be better.
• Teams have to be empowered, not ordered around. Consultancy is about helping team members to use their own powers, not defer to temporary visitors.
• We can always learn from the many workplace stories that have come before us.
• Even with all those lessons, there is no one-size-fits-all solution: any good consultant has to get to know the team first.
• Every real situation is beautiful from the right perspective.
• A workplace being fun and a workplace being productive are not mutually exclusive: both can be true!

Sometimes I toy with whether I should choose a more “businessy” name for this company or the consultancy service we offer. It sure could make it easier for people to spell it!

But then I remember Dale’s words:

I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.