Vipers

In the New Testament, vipers were individuals filled with malice.

Do you know of anybody in your workplace that you'd refer to as a "viper"?

Your trade journals demand that you be a leader, that you "embrace change", that you "transform your brand".

I'm not convinced all of these people have met up with "vipers" in an e-commerce and/or retail world.

It's the merchant who blames you because you aren't bringing the "right traffic" to your website.

It's the marketer who says the "imagery" fails to convey the "key tenants of the brand".

It's the CEO who lambasts the inventory manager because ... well ... she "can".

It's the creative professional who wants the IT professional to "throw the 'book of work' away" and re-prioritize his work.

Politics ... on both sides ... are full of vipers. That's why the discipline (at a National level) is now so loathsome. 

And at work, you probably know who your vipers are. You probably have informal processes in place to work around these individuals. Good for you!