Management Stories

Delegate your task wisely, and only to people you trust.

2008-12-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

A Wolf had been prowling around a flock of Sheep for a long time,
and the Shepherd watched very anxiously to prevent him from
carrying off a Lamb. But the Wolf did not try to do any harm.
Instead he seemed to be helping the Shepherd take care of the
Sheep. At last the Shepherd got so used to seeing the Wolf about
that he forgot how wicked he could be.

One day he even went so far as to leave his flock in the Wolf's care
while he went on an errand. But when he came back and saw how
many of the flock had been killed and carried off, he knew how
foolish to trust a Wolf as he exclaimed. “I have been rightly
served; why did I trust my sheep to a Wolf?”

No disguise will hide one's true character.

An Ass found a Lion's skin left in the forest by a hunter. He
dressed himself in it, and amused himself by hiding in a
thicket and rushing out suddenly at the animals who passed
that way. All took to their heels the moment they saw him.

The Ass was so pleased to see the animals running away from
him, just as if he were King Lion himself, that he could not
keep from expressing his delight by a loud, harsh bray. A
Fox, who ran with the rest, stopped short as soon as he heard
the voice. Approaching the Ass, he said with a laugh:

"If you had kept your mouth shut you might have frightened
me, too. But you gave yourself away with that silly bray."

A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words
will soon show what he really is.

Self-help is the best help.

2008-12-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

A Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. As the days
passed, the wheat stalks grew tall and the young birds, too, grew
in strength. Then one day, when the ripe golden grain waved in
the breeze, the Farmer and his son came into the field.

"This wheat is now ready for reaping," said the Farmer. "We
must call in our neighbors and friends to help us harvest it."

The young Larks in their nest close by were much frightened,
for they knew they would be in great danger if they did not leave
the nest before the reapers came. When the Mother Lark
returned with food for them, they told her what they had heard.

"Do not be frightened, children," said the Mother Lark. "If the
Farmer said he would call in his neighbors and friends to help
him do his work, this wheat will not be reaped for a while yet."

A few days later, the wheat was so ripe, that when the wind
shook the stalks, a hail of wheat grains came rustling down on
the young Larks' heads.

"If this wheat is not harvested at once," said the Farmer, "we
shall lose half the crop. We cannot wait any longer for help
from our friends. Tomorrow we must set to work, ourselves."

When the young Larks told their mother what they had heard
that day, she said:

"Then we must be off at once. When a man decides to do his
own work and not depend on any one else, then you may be
sure there will be no more delay."

There was much fluttering and trying out of wings that
afternoon, and at sunrise next day, when the Farmer and his
son cut down the grain, they found an empty nest.

Procrastination is the thief of time.

Counter old tricks with new ones.

2008-12-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

A Merchant, driving his Donkey homeward from the seashore
with a heavy load of salt, came to a river crossed by a shallow
ford. They had crossed this river many times before without
accident, but this time the Donkey slipped and fell when halfway
over. And when the Merchant at last got him to his feet, much
of the salt had melted away. Delighted to find how much lighter
his burden had become, the Donkey finished the journey very
happily.

Next day the Merchant went for another load of salt. On the way
home the Donkey, remembering what had happened at the ford,
purposely let himself fall into the water, and again got rid of
most of his burden.

The angry Merchant immediately turned about and drove the
Donkey back to the seashore, where he loaded him with two great
baskets of sponges. At the ford the Donkey again tumbled over;
but when he had scrambled to his feet, it was a very disconsolate
Donkey that dragged himself homeward under a load ten times
heavier than before.

The same measures will not suit all circumstances.

Adversity creates opportunity.

2008-12-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

A farmer owned an old mule. One day, the mule fell into the
farmer's well. The mule brayed loudly and caught the attention
of the farmer. Upon assessing the situation, the farmer ruled out
any possibility of a rescue as it was simply too much trouble to
lift the mule out of the well. Out of sympathy for the animal, he
decided to enlist his neighbors' help to haul dirt into the well to
put the mule out of his misery.

The old mule was hysterical upon learning that his life would
thus end. However, as the farmer and the neighbors shoveled
the dirt into the well, a thought struck the old mule. He realized
that if he could shake off every dirt that landed on his back, the
dirt would hit the floor and he could step on the dirt.

Shovel after shovel, he continued relentlessly to shake off the
dirt and step on top of it. He fought the sense of panic and
distress and just went on shaking off the dirt and climbing
higher up the well.

With much determination and perseverance, the old mule
eventually stepped out the well, battered and exhausted, but
otherwise triumphant that he had survived the ordeal. Through
the way he handled the situation of adversity, the act of burying
him in fact saved his life.

There is a solution to every problem. Never give up.

There is nothing worth so much as liberty.

2008-12-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to
meet a House-dog who was passing by. "Ah, Cousin," said the
Dog.

"I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin
of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food
regularly given to you?"

"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only get a
place."

"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with me
to my master and you shall share my work."

So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On the
way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the
Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that
had come about.

"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place where
the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit,
but one soon gets used to it."

"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master Dog."

Better starve free than be a fat slave.

Precious things are without value to those who cannot prize them.

2008-12-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

A Cock was busily scratching and scraping about to find
something to eat for himself and his family, when he happened
to turn up a precious jewel that had been lost by its owner.

"Aha!" said the Cock. "No doubt you are very costly and he who
lost you would give a great deal to find you. But as for me, I
would choose a single grain of barleycorn before all the jewels
in the world."

The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful.

2008-12-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time a severe plague raged among the animals.
Many died, and those who lived were so ill, that they cared for
neither food nor drink, and dragged themselves about listlessly.
No longer could a fat young hen tempt Master Fox to dinner,
nor a tender lamb rouse greedy Sir Wolf's appetite.

At last the Lion decided to call a council. When all the animals
were gathered together he arose and said:

"Dear friends, I believe the gods have sent this plague upon us
as a punishment for our sins. Therefore, the most guilty one of
us must be offered in sacrifice. Perhaps we may thus obtain
forgiveness and cure for all.

"I will confess all my sins first. I admit that I have been very
greedy and have devoured many sheep. They had done me no
harm. I have eaten goats and bulls and stags. To tell the truth,
I even ate up a shepherd now and then.

"Now, if I am the most guilty, I am ready to be sacrificed. But I
think it best that each one confess his sins as I have done. Then
we can decide in all justice who is the most guilty."

"Your majesty," said the Fox, "you are too good. Can it be a
crime to eat sheep, such stupid mutton heads? No, no, your
majesty. You have done them great honor by eating them up.

"And so far as shepherds are concerned, we all know they
belong to that puny race that pretends to be our masters."

All the animals applauded the Fox loudly. Then, though the
Tiger, the Bear, the Wolf, and all the savage beasts recited the
most wicked deeds, all were excused and made to appear very
saint-like and innocent.

It was now the Ass's turn to confess.

"I remember," he said guiltily, "that one day as I was passing a
field belonging to some priests, I was so tempted by the tender
grass and my hunger, that I could not resist nibbling a bit of it.
I had no right to do it, I admit—"

A great uproar among the beasts interrupted him. Here was the
culprit who had brought misfortune on all of them! What a
horrible crime it was to eat grass that belonged to someone else!
It was enough to hang anyone for, much more an Ass.

Immediately they all fell upon him, the Wolf in the lead, and
soon had made an end to him, sacrificing him to the gods then
and there, and without the formality of an altar.

Even the weakest may find means to avenge a wrong

2008-12-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

An Eagle was chasing a hare, which was running for dear life and
was at her wits' end to know where to turn for help. Presently
she espied a Beetle, and begged it to aid her. So when the Eagle
came up the Beetle warned her not to touch the hare, which was
under its protection. But the Eagle never noticed the Beetle
because it was so small, seized the hare and ate her up. The
Beetle never forgot this, and used to keep an eye on the Eagle's
nest, and whenever the Eagle laid an egg it climbed up and
rolled it out of the nest and broke it.

At last the Eagle got so worried over the loss of her eggs that she
went up to Jupiter, who is the special protector of Eagles, and
begged him to give her a safe place to nest in; so he let her lay
her eggs in his lap. But the Beetle noticed this and made a ball of
dirt the size of an Eagle's egg, and flew up and deposited it in
Jupiter's lap. When Jupiter saw the dirt, he stood up to shake it
out of his robe, and, forgetting about the eggs, he shook them
out too, and they were broken just as before.

Ever since then, they say, Eagles never lay their eggs at the
season when Beetles are about.

Cooperate or suffer the penalties.

2008-12-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

A Muleteer set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and
a Mule, both well laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along the
plain, carried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the
steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could
bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of a small
portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the Mule paid no
attention to the request.

The Ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden. Not
knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the Muleteer placed
upon the Mule the load carried by the Ass in addition to his own,
and at the top of all placed the hide of the Ass, after he had
skinned him.

The Mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself:
"I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing
to assist the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing,
together with his burden, himself as well."

Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.

2008-12-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

A Dog and a Cock, who were the best of friends, wished very
much to see something of the world. So they decided to
leave the farmyard and to set out into the world along the
road that led to the woods. The two comrades traveled along
in the very best of spirits and without meeting any adventure
to speak of.

At nightfall the Cock, looking for a place to roost, as was his
custom, spied nearby a hollow tree that he thought would do
very nicely for a night's lodging. The Dog could creep inside
and the Cock would fly up on one of the branches. So said, so
done, and both slept very comfortably.

With the first glimmer of dawn the Cock awoke. For the
moment he forgot just where he was. He thought he was still
in the farmyard where it had been his duty to arouse the
household at daybreak. So standing on tip-toes he flapped his
wings and crowed lustily. But instead of awakening the farmer,
he awakened a Fox not far off in the wood. The Fox
immediately had rosy visions of a very delicious breakfast.
Hurrying to the tree where the Cock was roosting, he said
very politely:

"A hearty welcome to our woods, honored sir. I cannot tell
you how glad I am to see you here. I am quite sure we shall
become the closest of friends."

"I feel highly flattered, kind sir," replied the Cock slyly. "If
you will please go around to the door of my house at the foot
of the tree, my porter will let you in."

The hungry but unsuspecting Fox, went around the tree as he
was told, and in a twinkling the Dog had seized him.

Yield to all and you will soon have nothing to yield.

2008-12-22T06:53:00.000-08:00

In the old days, when men were allowed to have many wives, a
middle-aged Man had one wife that was old and one that was
young; each loved him very much, and desired to see him like
herself.

Now the Man's hair was turning grey, which the young Wife did
not like, as it made him look too old for her husband. So every
night she used to comb his hair and pick out the white ones. But
the elder Wife saw her husband growing grey with great pleasure,
for she did not like to be mistaken for his mother. So every
morning she used to arrange his hair and pick out as many of the
black ones as she could. The consequence was the Man soon
found himself entirely bald.

He that submits his principles to the influence and caprices of
opposite parties will end in having no principles at all.

Make-up may do wonders but deep inside, you are who you are.

2008-12-22T06:52:00.000-08:00

A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found
there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks
when they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted
down towards the Peacocks. When he came near them they soon
discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and
plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do no better
than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behavior
from a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and
told him:

"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."

It is much easier said than done.

2008-12-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free
themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find
some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have
time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they
lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared
stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good
enough. At last a very young Mouse got up and said:

“I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be
successful. All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck.
When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that
our enemy is coming.”

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of
such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their
good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

“I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let
me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?”

The Mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the
old Mouse said:

“It is easy to propose impossible remedies.”

Think Outside the Box

2008-11-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
An old friend who once saved your life.
The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a dilemma that was once used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you
should save her first;
* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this
would be the perfect chance to ! pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired had no trouble coming up with his answer. Guess what was his answer?

He simply answered:

“I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to “Think Outside the Box.”

Be Careful What You Say When You’re the Leader

2008-11-19T23:50:00.000-08:00

John DeLorean told me that shortly after he had become general manager of Chevrolet he attended a sales conference in Dallas, and when he arrived at his hotel suite he discovered that someone from the company had delivered a huge basket of fruit to his room. Remarking to an associate on the basket’s size and variety he commented, humorously, he thought, “What? No bananas?”

From that moment on, the word throughout General Motors was “John DeLorean loves bananas.” No matter how many times he attempted to explain that he had only meant to be amusing, bananas kept showing up in cars, chartered planes, hotel suites—even in meetings—and followed him throughout his career at Chevrolet.

Successful Failures

2008-11-19T23:49:00.001-08:00

In a small pub in the highlands of Scotland a group of fishermen gathered one afternoon to swap tales over a round of ale. One of them stretched his arms apart to show the big one that got away. At that very point, a waitress walked past carrying a tray of full ale glasses. The fisherman’s wild gestures sent the tray smashing against the wall. The dark brew splashed on the white wall of the pub and began running down. The waitress and the fisherman tried to wipe the mess off the wall, but it had left an ugly dark stain. A man who had watched the whole scene from another table walked quietly over to the wall. With a brown pastel crayon he took from his pocket, he began to sketch. The entire pub watched in silent awe as a majestic stag with great spreading antlers magically took shape around the stain. The artist was Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, the top 19th British painter of animals.

Emphasizing the Positive

2008-11-19T23:44:00.000-08:00

In 1982, University of Wisconsin researchers who were conducting a study of the adult-learning process videotaped two bowling teams during several games. The members of each team then studied their efforts on video to improve their skills. But the two videos had been edited differently. One team received a video showing only its mistakes; the other team’s video, by contrast, showed only the good performances. After studying the videos, both teams improved their game, but the team that studied its successes improved its score twice as much as the one that studied its mistakes. Evidently, focusing on the errors can generate feelings of fatigue, blame, and resistance. Emphasizing what works well and discussing how to get more out of those strengths taps into creativity, passion, and the desire to succeed.

You must be in management

2008-11-19T23:42:00.000-08:00

Realizing he was lost, a balloonist dropped down to ask directions. “Excuse me, but I’m a little off course” he shouted. “I promised to meet a friend an hour ago, I don’t know where I am.”

A woman hollered back: “You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re at exactly 40 degrees, 22 minutes, and 21 seconds North latitude and 70 degrees, 30 minutes, and 33 seconds West longitude.”

“Amazing,” the balloonist replied. “You must be an engineer!”

“I am,” she replied, “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I can’t use your information. I’m still lost and you haven’t been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”

The woman thought for a moment, then replied: “You must be in management.” “I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You’ve risen to your position due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.”

“In fact,” she said, “you’re in exactly the same position you were before we met, but somehow it’s now my fault.”

Managers Ignite!

2008-11-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

A corporate executive on holiday in a small Greek seacoast village was strolling by the docks and drinking in the local color. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch.

“How long did it take you to get all those fish?” he wondered.

“Not very long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”

“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”

Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.”

The executive said, “I have an MBA from Harvard. I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.

“And after that?”

“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with zeal.

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”

People Live Up or Down to a Leader’s Expectations

2008-11-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

“Tell me about the people at the organization you just left,” said the senior manager who was screening candidates to fill a key leadership role. “They were uneducated and lazy,” the candidate responded. “You always had to keep an eye on them because they were constantly trying to goof off or rip off the company. They were lousy communicators, resisted change, and only cared about themselves.” “That’s too bad,” replied the senior manager, “I am sorry to say that’s the same type of people you’ll find here. This doesn’t sound like a job you would enjoy.”

Once the next candidate was seated, she was asked the same question. “Oh, they were great,” she said. “Although many of them couldn’t read and we had some trouble communicating with each other, they were very driven to succeed. Once we all got to know each other, they were constantly helping one other and working together.” “Great,” the senior manager responded, “That’s the same type of people you’ll find here.”

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up

2008-11-19T23:26:00.000-08:00

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”

The crow answered: ” Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Decision Making Without Critical Information

2008-11-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds of arguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you £800 to drop that towel that you have on”

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.

After a few seconds, Bob hands her £800 and leaves. Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets back to the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower, “Who was that?”

“It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies.

“Great,” the husband says, “did he say anything about the £800 he owes me?”

Management Lesson: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in a timely fashion with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Amazing Photos of China

2008-06-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

Forget everything you think you know about China and take a couple minutes to ponder these images.

Beautiful and incredible photos

An absolutely breathtaking collection of beautiful pictures from China.

Click Here to Learn Chinese