Engineers, Hot Air And Management
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.
She reduced altitude and spotted a man below.
She descended a bit more and shouted, ‘Excuse me sir, can you help me?
I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but
I don’t know where I am.’
The man below replied, ‘You’re in a hot air balloon hovering
approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and
between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.’
‘You must be an engineer,’ said the lady balloonist.
‘I am’, replied the man. ‘How did you know?’
‘Well, answered the balloonist, ‘everything you told me is
technically correct, but I’ve no idea what
to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost.
Frankly, you’ve not been much help to
me at all. If anything you’ve delayed my trip even more.’
The man below responded, ‘You must be in management.’
‘I am,’ replied the lady balloonist, ‘but, how did you know?’
‘Well,’ said the man, ‘You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going.
You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air within.
You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and
you expect people beneath you, to solve your problems.’