It was a rookie LAPD cop’s first day on the job.
He turned up for the briefing at his new precinct.
All the cops walked to the front of the room and picked a marble from a bag on the table.
Every time someone picked a black marble they punched the air.
Then, when someone picked the only white marble, their shoulders slumped.
The rookie asked one of the cops what was going on.
He said “We’ve got one really bad section in this precinct. It wouldn’t be fair to assign it to someone, so the Captain thinks this is the best way. Whoever gets the white marble has to patrol that section. You’re a rookie, so today you don’t have to pick. You just get an easy section.”
So the rookie did his patrol on an easy section that day.
And there weren’t any problems on his beat.
But he kept thinking about the bag full of black marbles.
And next day he turned up early for the briefing.
He walked to the front of the room,
He took the whole bag and turned it upside down.
Then he picked out the white marble.
Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.
They said “What the hell are you doing kid?”
He said “I came here because I wanted to be a cop. I didn’t come here to retire. I don’t want the safe, easy beat. I want the beat where I can find out how good I am. The beat where I can learn what I’m doing right and wrong and what I need to get better at. I don’t just want to pass the time until the end of the shift. I could do that in a factory.”
And every day he did the same thing.
He turned out the bag and took the white marble.
And pretty soon he began making arrests.
Because of the crime on his beat, he was making more arrests than the other cops.
And his record started to look really good.
Suddenly some of the other cops started to sit up and take notice.
They said “Hey this isn’t fair. He’s making more arrests because his beat is tougher. We’ve only got the easy beats. We can’t be expected to make as many arrests.”
And they told the Captain they wanted a crack at the dangerous beat too.
So the precinct Captain had to let them have a chance.
And they began making more arrests, too.
And a spirit of camaraderie grew between the cops who were working the tough beat.
They felt like the elite.
They teased the other cops about being already retired.
“Hey, you guys taking your slippers and cocoa out on patrol?”
Pretty soon no one wanted to be thought to be ducking the tough beat.
And, instead of being shunned, that tough beat became sought after by the cops.
The precinct’s arrest rate went up, crime went down, morale went up.
Nothing else changed in that precinct.
No more cops.
No incentive bonus.
No new weapons.
No new tactics.
Everything stayed the same, except the attitude of the people working there.
That changed because of one rookie.
And because that changed, everything changed.
Because people didn’t just want an easy life anymore.
Because the tough route became fun.
Not avoiding it, but going for it.
Like at the gym.
Not staying with exercise you can already do easily.
But stretching yourself, so you get better every time.
Think of that.
When other people are getting all the good briefs.
When you keep getting the assignment no one else wants.
Two ways to go.
It can either be a real drag.
Or it can be a chance to do something the other guys can’t or won’t do.
See, you’re either on this planet learning and growing.
Or you’re just passing time until your retirement.
Absolutely.
You know, some time ago,
I made a commitment to you to paint every day Dave.
I’ve just finished a set of 12 oil paintings.
I didn’t have the money to buy big canvasses
so I did them on cheap ones from Wilkinson’s.
Three for £4 of all different sizes.
I showed them to my friend and fellow artist Tony.
We call ourselves “Chalk and Cheese”
because he paints weird and interesting abstract stuff
and I paint impressionist.
We both paint fast because that’s when we become
passionate and it permits the paint to
grabs our energy and capture it on the canvas.
I threw the canvasses on the grass all around.
He said: “You aint going to like this Kev but…”.
I became excited: “Do your worst Tony…”.
“You’re going to have to paint them all again,
but big this time”.
I thought, that’s the sort of comment
I’d expect Dave Trott, Alex Taylor, or Bill Gallacher to say.
So I immediately said yes, and I WILL DO IT.
In fact I can’t wait to start.
So I am.
Storing up the energy.
Like a mobile phone on battery recharge.
So when I hit the canvas.
I hit the ground running.
My friend likes challenges too.
I’ve told him to paint abstract with a dustpan and brush.
He laughed.
He’s taken up the challenge too.
I think we both lost our marbles years ago.
And thank God for that!
Kevin Gordon - 24 August 2011 9:52 am
Dave – every downturn, the same old ‘now’s the time 2 be brave’ is wheeled out in front of the clients. But, as u know, the overwhelming majority of client’s pay no heed. Most aren’t gonna win a VC in an upturn… Which brings me 2 my point – do u think that there r more white marble briefs in the bag as a consequence of the ongoing + not looking as tho it’s going 2 end any time soon, economic situation?
Grilla Login - 24 August 2011 10:50 am
Grilla.
Yup.
Dave Trott - 24 August 2011 1:31 pm
have to say that whenever I’ve made a significant step forward in my career it’s been as a result of taking on briefs and clients that no one else wanted. But undoubtedly a far better example of this would be David Droga and HP.
As a contemporary of the man, I was always curious about how Droga managed to be so successful, so young. A few years ago, I got talking to a few guys who had worked with him when he was the ECD of Saatchis and they told me how, instead of tackling the smaller, sexier clients or resorting to that old Singapore favourite – the imaginary client, he took on the very large, very blue chip and very dull HP account.
He would spend 3 or 4 mornings a week working with the HP clients on distinctly unsexy retails ads, dealing with real marketing issues and gradually earning their trust. Finally, after about a year, he was able to convince them to take a risk and the result was the HP Martian Lander commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6m3J4JtJ3Q
Conor - 24 August 2011 2:32 pm
This is so great, I have sent it along to my two daughters.
george tannenbaum - 24 August 2011 6:37 pm
My daughter loved that story too George, I think girls really get it.
Dave Trott - 25 August 2011 7:40 am
Saw a girl wearing a t-shirt the other day.
It read:
English Girls
invented
Punk Rock
not England.
Is that true?
Kevin Gordon - 25 August 2011 7:48 am
I dunno Kevin.
But I like it because it’s provocative.
Dave Trott - 25 August 2011 9:06 am
Who’s doing it tough? Exams being chosen seem to overwhelmingly ‘soft’ subjects these days. We reap what we sow.
john woods - 25 August 2011 7:31 pm
I visit a little old man who is like a laughing Buddah.
Lets call him “R”.
He calls me “Dad”
although I’m young enough to be
his youngest son.
A few days ago he rested his hands on his worktop
and looked at the blank space on his kitchen wall.
Then he said:
“Dad, I’d like a painting to go on that wall”.
I thought (“Doh, here we go!”)
“What kind of picture would you like R?”
“A trawler Dad.”
I said:
“Yeah?
What kind of trawler?”
He looked at me, smiled and laughed.
I became sarcastic and thought of the
most complex picture I could:
“One ploughing through a force 9 wind
being almost crushed by the sea
with seagulls flying around?”
He said:
“That’s right” and we laughed as he said:
“Can you paint one for me Dad?”
….
At this point thought and speech separated into
(You’ve done it again havent you!)
Thought:
“!!!! ???? @@@@ ****”
Words:
“Yeah, alright then, R…”
…..
Days later I was angry with myself.
I slapped paint on with a palate knife and
caught the anger of a raging sea
with a trawler bobbing around and left it.
R said to me the other day:
Is the painting finished yet Dad?
I said “No R.
“You don’t think I’m going to give you any old crap do you?”
“No” he replied.
“Can you frame it when it’s finished Dad?’
I said: “No R. I’m useless a framing pictures.”
Alright then Dad, I’ll get one of the girls to frame it.”
“Do I owe you anything for it Dad?”
“No, but you can make me a cup of tea…”
….
Yesterday I went back to the painting
and started to paint in the details.
As I let go of my will to control the paint
a wonderful thing happened.
The trawler began to merge with the sea
like it was truly being consumed.
….
So I took courage to let go even more
and make it part of the sea
and completed all the detail of the ship
with a palate knife and large dollops of paint.
I’ve never had the courage to do that before
because I know one foul stroke with a
palate knife and it’s start again time,
but it worked, and I love it now.
…
Just for a moment I didn’t want to give it to R,
but I’m a man of my word,
and he’s a lovely old boy,
and anyway, I can always do a bigger one.
so that’s that.
….
It’s funny when you do things in spite of yourself:
It’s as if we have to accept the pain of loss
before we can enter the joy of giving and yet
every great ad has an element of this in it somewhere.
I think it’s just called bringing it to life.
Whatever it is, even a dull brief.
Kevin Gordon - 26 August 2011 7:13 am
Who’s doing it tough these days? http://bit.ly/dJ0PVJ
john woods - 26 August 2011 7:15 pm
John – the UK could become a global powerhouse in hairdressing – the City replaced by Nicki and Mr Topper.
[Maybe the financial sector isn’t so different from hairdressing – thanks 2 them: cuts, cuts + more cuts.
Grilla Login - 26 August 2011 9:27 pm
its a great story. i had it on my mind for a couple of days.
“And they told the Captain they wanted a crack at the dangerous beat too.” without them, it wouldnt have turned out as positive. it turned into a friendly competition. more often than not, competing is ugly. something goes wrong. it doesnt bring out the best in people. at least thats what i think.
peggy - 1 September 2011 8:40 pm
Here, here… Sometimes it may be just tackling a problem that needs solution… that everyone else is really running away from or dancing on top of….
Could be, the key to changing everything, for everyone. Could be the key to changing the future we are moving towards. Thanks Rookie, your story can be applied to all of Life.
C*
Crystal* - 2 September 2011 3:32 pm