Saturday, May 13, 2017

leadership dot #1807: in a box

The ubiquitous way of serving food at our State Fair is “on a stick” with everything from salad to pork chops to fried Twinkies being offered in a portable format. It makes it much easier to grab ‘n go with little thought involved.
That same idea has evolved to packaging. Everything now seems to be available “in a box.” You can receive boxes of healthy snacks, pet treats, jewelry, clothing, ingredients to prepare a meal – all with items pre-selected for you and designed to open and go.
The latest incarnation of this that I came across offers an event-in-a-box. Campus activities program boards can order a kit with all the educational programming they need to “sponsor” an event. You open the box and it has instant materials for you, such as promoting sun awareness for a Fry Day. (see picture below)
Like with Legos and everything else, I lament the loss of creativity that is supplanted by all these kits. Where is the role for imagination when all you do is open and go? Where do young people learn resourcefulness to gather the necessary materials on their own? What happens when there is no one around to prepare a kit and they need to create their own fun?
There are times when having something pre-prepared is a handy time saver. Just think outside the box more than you reach for what’s in it.
Fry Day in a box
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