Where's Perry?

One of my kid's favorite shows right now is Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb. The show's about a couple of young boys that have outrageous adventures (seemingly in secret) while their sister tries to get them in trouble with their mom. The boys have a new adventure every day during their summer vacation. They also have a pet platypus named Perry. A story-within-a-story is Perry's secret identity as a secret agent. While Phineas and crew are off having a grand ol' time, Perry is battling the Evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Shortly after the show begins, Perry sneaks off unnoticed as his alter-ego and then Phineas utters, "Hey, where's Perry."

OK, that was kind of a long lead in to what I really wanted to comment on. My point is that no-one pays attention to the platypus doing the real work. They don't miss him. They don't go off searching for him. They don't put up wanted posters. They even greet him with a nonchalant, "Oh, there you are Perry," when he returns home at the end of the show.

It's the quiet ones (OK, I know platypus can make some sounds) that are getting the work done -- saving the world. Sure, the ones that like being on the stage get the credit. There are those that suck up to the boss, always appear to be busy, but never get anything done. There are those that are always choosing the "glory" project so that their name is on all of the important emails and lists. But... Without the silent majority, those that just go to work and dutifully do their job, do their job efficiently and effectively, fly under the radar and avoid the public praise, the people taking the credit wouldn't have anything to take credit for.

As the US economy continues to suffer, and managers must determine where to shed costs, I only hope that they know the truth behind the true productivity of the workplace.