Pigeonholed in the Land of Penguins: A Tale of Seeing Beyond Stereotypes - Lessons for Our Lives and Organizations

Paula Pigeon is depressed. She's got a great idea for solving a company problem, but no one will listen to her--after all, she's just a pigeon!

In the Land of Penguins (situated somewhere on the shores of the Sea of Organizations), only penguins get their way. All the other birds--hawks, eagles, parrots, swans--are relegated to "what they do best." But when a company crisis arises, Paula seizes the opportunity and shows those conformist penguin leaders that you can't judge a bird by its feathers--not if you want a creative solution.

In this delightful parable (a follow-up to the highly successful A Peacock in the Land of Penguins), Hateley, Schmidt, and Weiss have collaborated again to create witty narration and wry illustrations. The story of Paula and her fowl friends demonstrates how organizations must become much better at capturing the talents, energy, and commitment of all employees (if they want breakthrough ideas). How? By focusing on diversity, creativity, and teamwork--and avoiding pigeon-holing at all costs!

Barbara Hateley, Warren H. Schmidt, and Sam Weiss (all in the Los Angeles area) collaborated on A Peacock in the Land of Penguins, the prequel to this book. Hateley is president of Peacock Productions, a human resources training company. Schmidt is professor emeritus of the University of Southern California and UCLA, and president of Chrysalis, Inc., a management training company. Weiss is an illustrator, animator, and filmmaker, whose films have included The Legend of John Henry and The Wrong Way Kid.