Massive Change, Massive Ego

Last night I went to see Bruce Mau at the launch of his new book, Massive Change, at the Indigo in the Manulife Centre, literally 1 minute from our apartment. I was very keen to hear him talk about the new book and the whole Massive Change project, since I am a big design geek as well as an emergence/complexity theory/social networks enthusiast, and the project seems to address these areas in a very interesting holistic fashion. However, I'm sad to report that the entire evening was rather spoiled for me by the Massive Ego of the host, Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo. I disliked her from the outset, when she introduced herself as "CEO of Indigo, but I prefer to call myself Chief Book Lover". Wow, that sounded spontaneous and unrehearsed, and that explains why all the stores in the ChIndigo juggernaut are increasingly filled with non-book items such as yoga mats, pilates kits and cook ware. See 'the vanishing bookstore'  for details.

Being not-Canadian, I had never heard of Ms Heather Reisman until last night, but turns out she is half of one of Toronto's leading 'power couples' who are worth lots of money, and has been hailed - by the business press - as a 'turnaround queen' by repelling the attack of US-based Borders. Only to clone their rapacious business strategies herself, bless her. She's a Canadian success, which explains to me why she has such a vastly inflated self-opinion. I mean, she doesn't really seem very smart to me? How hard is it to build a large, rapacious, evil, independent bookstore killing monolith? Not very, judging by the almost complete lack of any evidence of incisive intellect in her banal, overlong, rambling questions aimed at Bruce Mau, who was hardly able to get a word in edgeways, poor thing.

Anyway, it gets worse - the interview was very tedious, but the bits where Bruce or his colleagues were interesting when they got a chance to speak. And eventually Ms. Reisman opened the discussion to the floor so us peons and non-corporate superstar predators could ask a few questions. I even got to ask one, which was nice! (I wondered why design had recently become  much more visible and appreciated by the man in the street - Bruce posited it was the influence of the PC, where for the first time, non-designer folks could choose fonts, etc...Interesting theory). Even this was spoiled by Ms Reisman's frequent interruptions. She even, get this, laughed INTO HER MICROPHONE when someone said something funny. What the?

But wait, it gets even worse. Eventually we got to the book signing part of the evening. I like getting books signed, but I don't get overexcited about it since I used to work in a large bookstore and ended up with books signed by many big names, but it is still fun nonetheless and you get to have a quick chat with the author. As I approached the table I saw with some amazement that Ms Reisman had positioned herself next to Bruce Mau (who she was so very keen to introduce as her personal friend to all and sundry - I'm sure the fact he is a globally renowned designer and she would benefit from her association was the farthest thing from her mind), anyway, she had positioned herself next to Bruce and was wielding a marker pen threateningly. She didn't actually intend to sign books, did she? This book that she had absolutely nothing to do with the conception, creation or production of? Surely not even she could have such off-the-scale egomania? I was very afraid. And then, yes, the customer before me - Bruce signs her book, passes it along, Reisman signs it! Wow!

I was completely distracted, and when it came to my turn, instead of stunning Bruce with my elevator pitch about emergent, collaborative design as the paradigm for the future, or asking him if he thinks that we will attain a state of perfection and immanize the eschaton by 2012, or if he believes, like Christopher Alexander that there is a God and the way God manifests is through the ubiquity of design and pattern throughout all of nature (including us, since we are all in the same matrix together), at which he, impressed by my acuity would offer me a position at his company immediately (which I guess I've blown now by ranting about his personal friend), anyway, instead of saying any of those things, I said "I work around the corner from you". Quite brilliant. Go me.

So, he smiled, said "that's...nice" or something, and passed the book to his right. Whereupon Reisman grabbed it, fixed me with a terrifyingly glassy and malevolent basilisk smile, and signed my book with a flourish! "Thanks, Rik", she said.  I think she *must* have seen me rolling my eyes at her soliloquies - I mean, I really rolled them A LOT. And I wasn't the only one. There was a whole wide array of eye rolling going on in that audience, I can tell you. Maybe even some minor eye sprain, I wouldn't be surprised.

She signed my book. How weird is that?

Comments

[neilIo]

Remind me to tell you the story about how Heather squashed a union drive at Indigo some years ago with tears, long, heartstring-tugging speeches, and begging. She then turned around and fired anyone who had even the most remote connection to the union organizers.

I always feel a bit greasy when I walk into one of her stores...

[Brent]

Ugh! You actually let her sign your book? I think I would have taken it out of her hands.

I've never heard anything but bad things about her, anyway, domineering so-and-so who at the independent book industry in Toronto (along with Chapters, which she then ate, too), but this is outrageous.

[adam]

AH hahahaha. Oh, I'm so sorry.
She sounds like a terror.

And I guess that wasn't Fat Mau I (thought I) spotted outside the AIA on LaGuardia today, then?

[anti-ego]

That is one of the funniest Reisman stories I've heard. Very right about someone who likes to measure her worth by the many talented people she believes are her friends. She's trying very hard to bankrupt a monopoly that her husband owns. Guess he bought it to keep her busy and away from him. haha.

[eye-witness]

Having worked at Indigo, I can tell you that one of Heather's other canned comments is how her only real regret in life is not having more childern...how she 'values childern above all things'. Yet, whenever one of her Indigo Head Office employees goes on maternity leave, Heather immediately questions their dedication. She has been heard, at least in one instance, asking why the company can't just get rid of the person on mat leave.

Thanks to Canadian labour laws, these returning new mothers are often offered a 'package' instead.

Nice Heather, nice. REAL family values you got there.

This woman is evil incarnate, her ego is just one aspect of her darkness. I have no idea why the media has been so soft on her in recent years...

[alex]

i accidentally found this blog, but having worked on Massive Change myself, i believe you confused Heather Reisman with Jennifer Leonard. Jennifer was signing books that night with Bruce. She's the co-author of the book. Cheers,
Alex

[Jennifer Leonard]

Thanks, Alex! The original post describing Ms Reisman was accurate *up until* the book-signing portion of the evening. ;)

[rik]

Erm, sorry, but I'm 100% certain that it was Ms Reisman who signed my book. I remember you, Jennifer, and it wasn't you. That's why I thought it was so weird...:D

[adrienne]

I was there with Rik and I can confirm that it was Ms Reisman who signed the book, especially as it clearly says 'Heather' on the flyleaf. I wish we were mistaken but sadly, we're not...

[Jennifer Leonard]

That's too strange. I have to see it to believe it.

[rik]

Jennifer - I know it was strange, that's why I was so freaked out. I know you signed books, but there was a period where Bruve was up on the table on his own and Heather just sort of positioned herself to his right. After he had signed the book she sort of sat there expectantly and Bruce passed my copy along to her, looking slightly bemused. Then she signed it, before I could stop her! Believe me, I'd like for you to have signed it! Heh. I'll take a photo when it arrives (currently in transit from Toronto). Curiouser and curiouser... :D

[belle]

Hello folks! I happen to work for the so-called evil indigo(oh please don't shoot me now!!). I am absolutely stunned at the ignorance that is "out there". I am so sick of people attacking anything "Canadian" that is successful. It's disgusting. If Barnes and Noble were to take over the book world in Canada, they would be gods. Walmart(oh saintly Walmart) comes to Canada and kills SO MANY other businesses and companies but nothing is said because they are "American". Give me a break. We all have our bad points, but Indigo has done alot of good also. But, unfortunately for them, their downfall is that they are Canadian. Pretty lucky if you ask me.

[belle]

Hello folks! I happen to work for the so-called evil indigo(oh please don't shoot me now!!). I am absolutely stunned at the ignorance that is "out there". I am so sick of people attacking anything "Canadian" that is successful. It's disgusting. If Barnes and Noble were to take over the book world in Canada, they would be gods. Walmart(oh saintly Walmart) comes to Canada and kills SO MANY other businesses and companies but nothing is said because they are "American". Give me a break. We all have our bad points(except some people who i guess are perfect), but Indigo has done alot of good also. But, unfortunately for them, their downfall is that they are Canadian. Pretty lucky if you ask me.

[Rik]

Hi Belle,

Erm, I don't quite know where you got the impression I was being anti-Canadian - I didn't make any anti-Canadian references in my post, in fact I am a massive fan of Canada. I just didn't like Heather Reisman, and I don''t like any large chain stores who underpay their workers and employ union-busting tactics, whether it be Indigo, Barnes and Noble or Waterstones in the UK, for whom I used to work.

So, sorry if you got the mistaken impression that I was attacking a Canadian success story for being Canadian. Some of my best friends are Canadian, including my wife.

[belle]

Hey Rik,
Sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion about your earlier statements. I am sometimes supersensitive about my "Canadian-ness" because I love it so much!

[belle]

Hey Rik,
Sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion about your earlier statements. I am sometimes supersensitive about my "Canadian-ness" because I love it so much!

[belle]

Why oh why do I keep posting twice...not deliberate folks!

[ripoff65]

how sad, how many of you know her?
she employs over 4000 canadians and has really pushed Canadian literature. yes she lives in a different world than most but she has worked hard to be a success.
how many folks do you all employ?
she has her moments as we all do