THINK OUT OF THE BOX!!
Employee “A” in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day?
The manager took “A” to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank.
“A” completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said “GOOD JOB”
Next day Employee “B“ has been assigned the same task.
Employee “B‘ before starting the task saw Employee “C” was struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized “C” has the same task.
Now “B” not only crossed the river but also helped “C” to cross the river. On reporting manager smiled and said “VERY GOOD JOB, ‘B’”
Employee “Q” has been assigned the same task again. Before starting the work he did some home work and realized “A“, “B” & “C” all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed. He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task.
He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly. The manger said “Q” you have done an “EXCELLENT JOB“.
Employee “O’ is also assigned the same task again.
“O” studied the procedure written down by “Q” and sat and thought about the whole task.
He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, “You no longer need to assign this task to any one”. The manager smiled and said “OUTSTANDING JOB ‘O’. I am very proud of you.”
What is the difference between A, B, Q & O????????
If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated “team performance” over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as “INITIATIVE“.
Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what every one constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success.
Initiative should be life long. Think of out of the box.
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
Hi developers, I have an wonderful story like the above.
Once upon a time, there lived a Washerman in a village. He had kept a donkey and a dog to serve as his pets. The Dog used to guard his master’s house and escort him wherever he went. The Donkey used to carry stack of clothes on his back to and fro the river. Both of them slept in the washerman’s courtyard. Like this, they were leading their life under the kind shelter of the Washerman.
On one unfortunate night, when everyone was sleeping, a thief managed to get into the house. Even after seeing the thief, the Dog didn’t bark. When the Donkey saw the thief entering the house, he asked the Dog, “Dear Friend, Didn’t you see that a thief had entered the house? Why don’t you bark to awake our master?”
The Dog answered, “Mind your own business. Don’t talk to me about my duties; I know how to guard my master. I have been guarding this house for long, but master doesn’t care for me. From the past few days, he doesn’t even feed me properly. He doesn’t know my worth. I won’t wake him up. When this thief will steal valuables from his house then only he will recognize my importance”.
The Donkey irritatingly said, “You fool! This is not the time to complain. This is the time for action. Be fast and do something to wake up the master”. The Dog replied angrily, “No. As he doesn’t care for me even I wont care for him”. The Donkey shouted, “O wicked creature, you are full of ingratitude towards your master. You are ignoring your duty just when you’re required most. Fine, I will do your duty and wake him up”.
Hence, the Donkey brayed at the top of his voice which made the washerman to wake up. The thief quickly ran away from the scene. The Washerman looked around but could find anyone. He got furious at the Donkey who had disturbed his sleep. The Washerman thrashed the poor Donkey with a stick. The Donkey was left with pain for months.
Moral: It is always better to mind your own business.
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!