A Business Fable: Blame

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



Bill and Bob go into a bakery. Bill goes by the pastry counter and slowy sneaks three large cookies into his jacket pocket. The store owner is a big guy who's just sort of lumbering about the store.

Bill says, "See how easy this is? That moron store owner is so stupid that he doesn't notice. And you know what? If he's so stupid to not know what I am doing, then he deserves this. It's the way of the world--stupid people get what they deserve."

Bob responds, "Oh, I know a better trick. Watch this!" And he goes up to the store owner and says, "I have a neat trick to show you." "Okay," says the store owner, "Show me."

Bob says, "Give me a cookie." The store owner does so and he promptly eats it. Then he says, "Give me another." The store owner looks a little uncertain but hands it to him anyway, and Bob promptly eats it.

Bob says, "Okay, give me just one more." The store owner says, "Wait, who is going to pay for these cookies?" Bob grabs the third and quickly munches it down, and just as the store owner looks ready to grab him, he says, "Ta-da! The cookies I have eaten have now magically re-appeared in my buddy's jacket pocket--have a look!"

Of course, when the store-owner yanks open Bill's pocket, the cookies are in there. "That's a neat trick, but you'll now have to pay me for these three because they've been in your pocket and I can't sell them."

As Bill pays the store keeper, he frowns at Bob and whispers, "What the hell did you do that for?"

Bob responds, "Well, if you were too stupid to know I was going to do this, then you got what you deserve--it's the way of the world."

Moral of the Story: No one is above being made a fool of.