Biting the frogs head off

We’re really pleased with our new office space. We’ve got more room, a great new team table that fits the whole team comfortably, and some inspiring artwork.

This includes the graffiti art wall next to our kitchen. At the centre of this illustration, as you can see, is an image of someone biting the head off a frog. It’s a visually striking image, but it also means something to us.

So where does it come from? Well, we were told a few years ago by the chief executive of a major business group that he had a little phrase that summed up his drive to deal with the worst thing in his schedule first thing in the morning – “biting the frog’s head off”. We’ve taken it from there.

We should stress at this point this isn’t to be taken literally – no frogs have ever been harmed in his or our office and long may that remain the case. But whenever you go into work on a morning, more often than not there’ll be a problem you need to tackle, an awkward call that needs making. Something you’ve been putting off, that you know is not going to be nice. But problems rarely, if ever, resolve themselves and you must deal with it – that’s what biting the frog’s head off is all about.

The reality of doing business is that there are stumbles, disagreements and sticking points all the time. Very rarely is it all sweetness and light. But we’re paid to sort things out and make things happen for our clients.

The frog, such as it is, won’t taste any nicer by being bitten into sooner rather than later – it’s still going to be just as unpleasant. But by taking a deep breath and just getting it done, you deal with the situation and get any negativity out of the way, rather than have it nagging away at you all day. The frog can free you. That’s why it’s on our wall.