standing tall.

the story of genevieve

We couldn’t help but notice her impressively long neck and cheerful face as it towered over the smelly dumpster. Recognizing immediately that she was a treasure, and not trash, we pulled her out, cleaned her up, and told her she was coming home with us. On the car ride back to the office, her neck and head jutted awkwardly out of the car window, but her smile never wavered. That’s when we began to see ourselves in her. Once we arrived at the office, we named her Genevieve the giraffe.  We thought the name suited her, and the alliteration would make it easy to remember, but someone keeps calling her Guinevere.

As she became more at home in our office, we became more curious about her kind. Spontaneous Internet Searches revealed fun facts about giraffes such as: They have giant hearts, and only require between one and four hours of sleep a day. “Same here!” we said.

She’s playful to be sure, always wearing a tiara, a boa, or some kind of festive get-up. But she’s more than just good-natured and unique, she’s thoughtful. Her impressive height offers the broad perspective required for creative inspiration, and the aerial view necessary to anticipate and devise contingency plans.

Call her our mascot or our spirit animal; Genevieve the giraffe reflects our collective traits. Her presence in our office serves as a constant reminder to rise above challenges, take the long view, and lead with our hearts.

Planning Giraffes