Rick & Morty Lessons In Analytics
Overcoming Adversity — Pickle Rick Style
Lesson #1: Don’t Get Yourself In A Pickle To Start With
Miss that one? Yeah, sadly I did too. Rick and Morty episodes are so densely packed that some of the easier metaphors slide right on by. Adult Swim played off of that during their Labor Day Weekend Marathon. But Rick’s dilemma was also a classic analyst’s blunder, ‘sciencing’ your way into an unfortunate situation.
If you are bored, find a new job. Don’t entertain yourself by over-complicating a mundane situation into a massive event.
In a recent episode of Rick & Morty, Rick attempts to avoid a family counseling session by turning himself into … a pickle. Metaphor duly noted.
Lesson #2: Stop Underestimating Others
Rick’s crazy plan may have worked just fine except that (as he often does) he underestimated Morty. Morty, who is becoming ever more cynical with each passing adventure with his grandfather, quickly noted the syringe of ‘anti-pickle’ syrum hanging precariously from a string tied to a timer.
Analysts become jaded as well, and often underestimate the intelligence and abilities of there clients. While the opposite also happens on occasion, that doesn’t tend to lead to much more than a retry. Underestimating them often leads to embarrassment or even explosion.
Lesson #3: When You Find Yourself In Deep… Improvise
Once Rick found himself in a pickle, it only made sense that he would soon end up floating in a sewer. What was more startling was his ruthless innovation. What else do you call biting the head off of a cockroach?
Great analysts need to be part special forces or MacGyver. Take stock and make use of your available resources. Don’t be afraid to improvise. But also remember that Rick (and MacGyver… and The Martian) turn to science (or at least pseudo-cartoon science), improvisation does NOT imply tossing the rules and the discipline. It is a different level of discipline (special forces) and a harder one.
Lesson #4: Iteration Will Probably Be Required
To get himself out of a pickle, Rick had to progress through several stages. From a helpless pickle licking cockroach brains (when did pickles get tongues?… nm) to a roach-armed rat hunter to his eventual rat-robot-roach-pickle cyborg — he took many iterative steps.
Too many analysts attempt to solve their issues in one glorious step. This has all the makings of a way to compound that earlier over-complication issue. It limits your ability to find value through innovation and improvisation and is just bad analytic thinking in general. Break it down. Step it through.
Lesson #5 — Use Technology… Even If You Need To Redesign It
In a bad situation, technology is still your friend. Rick didn’t blame science for getting him into his mess. He therefore didn’t dismiss it for getting him out. If I had a Benjamin for every time I watched a frustrated analyst discard technology entirely because one line of code or one specific tool was giving them issues…
Lesson #6 — Just Because You Are In A Hurry, Don’t Shut Down Communication
Rick’s ingenuity was truly impressive. By mid-episode he had become robo-pickle rick, escaped the sewers, and should have been on his way to fixing all his problems. He was in a bit of a hurry. He had estimated that he had a limited amount of time living as a pickle. Unfortunately, he emerged through a toilet in the middle of some evil bureaucrat’s compound (with South American overtones?).
If the details of that situation weren’t bad enough, he is quickly mistaken for an intruder? enemy agent? mythical pickle monster? Let’s just say that this situation got really damn ambiguous in a hurry. This is a great time to slow down a little and start communicating… but of course, that was what Rick was trying to avoid from the beginning. Don’t be a pickle? rick? pric… Communicate!
Lesson #7 — Friends and Allies Are Often Found In Bad Situations
Enter the Jaguar. Originally introduced as a monster released to stop the equally monster Pickle Rick, the Jaguar is later Rick’s justification for why this entire fiasco was a good idea.
Even though they meet as enemies, Rick’s ability to connect with the Jaguar saves the day (several times). Analyst should remember this. You can’t shut down in the face of a problem. Not communication. Not connection. You are going to need help and allies.
Lesson #8 — No Deadline Is Really So Drop Dead
It is a short lesson, but Rick’s estimates prove to be far too confining. Not only does he out live his original 3 minutes — as noted to the Jaguar. He survives the rest of the therapy session and part of a car ride home. Take it from a Corsair — deadlines are closer to guidelines than hard fast rules. We will need an article on Barbossa one of these days.
Lesson #9 — Learn A Damn Lesson!
As noted, Rick goes out of his way to re-frame his mistake as a good thing. Take that for what it is worth — a reinforcement that opportunity exists in all big experiences and a reminder to learn!
One of the running ‘mysteries’ of Rick is whether he truly acknowledges his mistakes. On one hand, if he is truly the smartest man in the universe, there is no way he got there without acknowledging and learning from failure. On the other, I should say no non-fictional way. He is a cartoon in a world full of pickle serums and cyborgs. But you aren’t — so learn!
