Monday, November 03, 2008

How to Fold an Airplane


Everyone knows how to fold an airplane, right? Well, it's one thing to know and another to draw out a diagram in order to show others how to do it. This was for my Sister-in-Law who had an assignment for a job promotion. She had three choices, demonstrate how to wash a car, brush your teeth or fold an airplane. She is the last person on the planet you would ever see give a demonstration like this. She is great at her job but it is in accounting. She can explain accounting and banking but how to fold an airplane was going to be a challenge for her. So she came to me for help. And because she is the financial backer for my three children I felt it was in my best interest to help her out.

I immediately thought of origami illustrations that I had been interested in at the time and thought that would be the way to go. So after a couple of hours I had me a workable "How To" on airplane folding. I then found two colored paper at a paper supply house and applied that color scheme to the diagram. She was then ready for action. She walked in and handed the staunch interviewers a folder with the airplane design and the two toned colored paper. She said they were blown away. She said they were all participating and interacting with one another. Which I guess was what they were looking for in this exercise, an ability to train others.

For me it was something different that I hadn't done before and she was successful in getting the promotion. We both earned our wings on this project.