© The Walt Disney Company
Appealing though it might be to be a secret hero*, like Fedora Perry – cool hat! – even this misunderstands platypuses. The internet has plenty of cute images of things that are labelled platypuses but aren’t.
In particular, many cartoons (like Perry) show them with a beaver tail*. They are sort of like an Australian beaver, so we assume they look like them. Even the robot platypus has a beaver tail. But platypuses have furry tails.
Once someone put a beaver tail on a platypus, it was easier for people to copy than check a photo of a real platypus*.
And I guess they were the inspiration for Fantastic Beast the niffler – and now nifflers show up in seaches for platypus images.
And since almost no-one has ever seen a baby platypus*, fake pictures circulate (and there’s a furious debate about what they are even called).
Yes, platypuses are widely misunderstood, when people have even heard of them.
What does a good infrastructure Asset Manager really do*?
*Hint: not a lone hero, not a construction engineer, not necessarily what people think, and they don’t spring fully formed from college…
If we go looking for a ‘secret hero’ as you called them, we can overlook greatness in a specific area. One of the reasons I’m so fond of the platypus analogy for the ideal asset management professional is because it works on multiple levels. The platypus is a rare creature who has an odd mix of highly valuable attributes. There are too few to meet demand and their numbers seem to be dwindling. And, the platypus because of it’s unique make-up is unlikely to be exceptional in all areas.
This is where AM professions must recognize the knowledge, skills, and abilities of others. Actually, the level of expertise or skill when specialized can exceed what even the best platypus could achieve. Recognizing and being able to work to our strengths allows us to coordinate across domains in the service of our assets.