Keeping the Vision Alive

You've got to feel a little sorry for those poor middle management types in the $75,000-$125,000 salary range who have to endure half-hour motivational videos like this one (purchased by companies who obviously have a little extra dinero to fritter away) which asks the time-honored question: "what are the lessons about teamwork that Antarctica has to teach?" Hosted by Ann Bancroft, who took an all-woman team across Antarctica to the South Pole, this video shifts between footage of Bancroft in the wild--so to speak--telling her team management problems to a camcorder in --50 degree weather and Bancroft summing up her lessons learned in a living room with a crackling fireplace. Other than the usual boilerplate which managers have heard a zillion times ("increasingly, we are learning that only through teamwork will we reach our goals"), there are some real questions about some of Bancroft's solutions and how well they actually translate to the business world. For example, finding the team not ready, Bancroft delays the expedition for a full year (try this stunt on the Internet, and watch your competitors eat your lunch). The bottom line here is that you've heard all of this before, but if you want to pay $695 to see some footage of Antarctica, you'll be spending about $675 too much. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)