A college professor was once approached after a lecture by a young man demanding an explanation for an apparent contradiction between something he had said during class and something he had written in an article years before. The professor responded, “When I’m wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?” Changing one’s mind is
A flight instructor was doing practice maneuvers with a student when he said, “I think it’s time we head back to the airport and land this plane. Are you ready?” The student replied, “Let’s do it.” As the plane approached the runway, the instructor noticed the student pilot seemed surprisingly calm for being new. The
The boards of two fiercely competitive companies decided to organize a rowing match to challenge each other’s organizational and sporting abilities. The first company was strongly “Theory X” – ruthless, autocratic, zero staff empowerment, etc. The second company was more “Theory Y” – a culture of developing people, devolved responsibility and decision-making. Race day arrived. The
In 1860, a 38-year-old man was working as a handyman for his father, a leather merchant. He kept books, drove wagons and handled hides. Prior to this menial job, the man had failed at every occupation he tried – soldier, farmer and real estate agent. Eight years later, after a second stint as a soldier
A martial arts student approaches his instructor with a question. “I’d like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I’d like to study with another teacher to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?” The master answered, “The hunter who chases two rabbits catches neither
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