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The Idiom, “Like Herding Cats,” Was Popularized During A Super Bowl Commercial In 2000 By EDS.

December 15 is Cat Herder’s Day! Although the only job remotely close to cat herding is working at your local animal shelter, this holiday is not dedicated to cats.

This celebration is meant for those who can manage others and themselves no matter what chaos is thrown their way. The idiom, “like herding cats,” was popularized during a Super Bowl commercial in 2000 by EDS. They compared their ability to serve others like cowboys herding cats – with ease. Since then, the phrase is mostly used to describe those who can lead and handle life even when it is uncontrollable. The term is also considered a skill workers use when leading a group towards one goal.

  • 1960s – Thomas and Ruth Roy are the copyrighted creators of the popular National Cat Herders Day which went public in USA Today.
  • 1979 – Some folks attribute the idea of herding cats to Monty Python, the British comedy troupe, whose 1979 film Life of Brian opened with a scene related to the subject.
  • 1997 – Warren G. Bennis publishes his Leadership management book called, “Managing People is Like Herding Cats.”
  • 1999 – Gaelic Storm published their second music album titled Herding Cats.
  • 2000 – The company EDS, made a Super Bowl commercial to explain how they handle all their clients, like real cowboys, and herding cats. (See video below)
  • “like herding cats.” Jobs that might fit that description may include:
    • Dog washer
    • Maid of Honor to a Bridezilla
    • A basketball player for Bobby Knight
    • Kindergarten teacher
    • Airplane repo specialist
    • Manicurist for Shridhar Chillal, the world record holder for the world’s longest nails
  • Famous Cat-Herders:
    • Mahatma Gandhi. Led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
    • Nelson Mandela. Mandela negotiated an end to the South African apartheid by tackling institutionalized racism and fostering racial reconciliation.
    • Malala Yousafzai. A young contemporary spokesperson for human rights, education and women’s rights.
    • Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. American civil rights activists whose resistance led to the passing of the landmark civil rights acts.
    • Gautama Buddha. A sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.
  • This day sympathizes with the plight of professionals like project managers, kindergarten teachers, the team in charge, and care workers. It can be extended to students who are herding their piled-up assignments or homemakers with a never-ending list of chores and responsibilities or any individual who is juggling with impossible tasks in their life.
  • A report from the BBC Earth story comes to the defense of cats. According to the article, it’s almost impossible to herd cats due to evolutionary reasons. The domestic cat as of now, does not find any benefits of living in a herd.
  • Whether you’re a business leader or running a soccer team, you need a cat herder: 
    • Know the loners.Cats aren’t known to run in packs. And some people don’t play well in groups either, especially competitive teams. The value of collaboration cannot be understated – and a professional cat herder is really good at making even the lone lion see that you get bigger rewards when you work together. Create space and time for the loners to process their thoughts and formulate a response. Set a schedule, “I’d like feedback by COB on Wednesday,” instead of “Let me hear your thoughts right now.” 
    • Balls of yarn. Like cats, some people just don’t seem to care. Cat herding is about people first, not projects, so make it your goal to keep everyone engaged. Projects unravel fast if communication and connections are lost, so focus on getting everyone to have a stake in the gameEstablish some rules, a note-taker and objectives. Review them often and in a variety of ways. Ask frequently, “How does that relate to our objective?” or “Have we accomplished this task?” 
    • Playing with the laser pointer. We live in a world with a lot of distractions. It takes enormous discipline to stay focused and on-task. That’s where cat herders shine. They can see the big picture – they hold the laser pointer – instead of chasing the light around. Instead, it’s their job to use the laser pointer to keep the team moving forward toward the project goal. Cat-herding meetings are run by really well-prepared people! Send an agenda out well in advance, ask for feedback and edits to the agenda, keep the meetings brief and moving forward at all timesCorral the cats with mini activities within the meeting like breaking into groups. And always end on time with a clear set of action items!   

 

Faith Based Events

Sources:

National Today

Days of the Year

National Day Calendar

National Days Today

Dr Cindy


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