It is a heroic adventure being an innovation practitioner. To lead an organization to where it is ready to flex its culture, business model, practices and management style requires the types of talents and skills that only metaphors can describe: the hunting instincts of a lion, the fortitude of a buffalo, the wisdom of an owl and the patience of a turtle.

When the Mississippi River rose to historic levels in 2011, local officials observed water seeping under the levee that protects the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park near Presidents Island.