It looks like one of our partner companies has devised a new innovation initiative. Which is fine, – who doesn’t like initiatives? – but I just can’t get over the name: Prometheus. According to the news release, he’s the “God of Innovation” and his name translates as “he who looks forward” and is known for “intelligence, service and excellence.”
Methinks someone didn’t crack open their Greek mythology texts in high school!
Prometheus was actually a conman. He was also a Titan, not a Greek god. It was his conning of Zeus that caused the Greek gods to take fire away from man in the first place.
I would also be wary of being the initiation lead behind this program. You see, for his transgressions, Prometheus was chained to a rock and had his liver eaten out by an eagle every day. His liver would regrow every night to begin the torture anew. Fortunately, Hercules rescued him only after 30 years of being a living foie gras luncheon platter.
Basically, Prometheus was not the type to win Employee of the Month awards. He didn’t even invent fire – he stole it from the forge of Hephaestus, the god of fire. Now there’s a better candidate for “God of Innovation”. Personally, I think Prometheus is a better spokesperson for P2P networks. 😉
When it comes to strategy and innovation, it is Athena that should be the patron goddess of IT. (The Vatican decided on St. Isidore for the Internet and all things computers.)
Moral of the Story: When naming stuff, make sure you actually know what your chosen name means.
