Lesson from Dad on Running the Train
By: Jan Bolick
I often hear managers complain, “Why won’t they take responsibility?!
Here’s a poem my Dad shared with me. It was on his bulletin board at work for years – up until the day he retired. It’s an unbelievable reminder of how ridiculous we managers can be sometimes.
It’s not my place to run the train.
The whistle I can’t blow.
It’s not my place to say how far the train’s allowed to go.
It’s not my place to shoot off steam.
Nor even clang the bell.
But let the damn thing jump the track and see who catches hell.
Presuming that the expectation is to keep the train on the track, let’s look at the questions posed at the end of the Lesson from Mick Mixon’s Dad?
Questions #5 for the manager is: Am I giving them the tools, the support and the authority they need to meet these expectations?
The answer in this situation is a resounding NO.
And it provides the answer to the question asked at the start of this post.
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Other Articles Related to Father’s Day
- Quote of the Week from Dad
- 10 Lessons from 9 Dads
- Lessons from John Wooden’s Dad
- Lesson from a Dad in a Chevrolet
- Lessons from Richard Petty’s Dad
- Lessons from Mick Mixon’s Dad
- Brainteaser #33 – for Father’s Day
- Lessons from Dad
- Most Valuable Fathers Day Gift of All
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