Deflating an EGO.
A friend of mine had finally been hired for a position with the United States Postal Service that was then operated under the patronage of Civil Service. He concluded that, if he worked hard and demonstrated a willingness to learn everything he could, his future would be secured.
Like all new-hires, he was assigned to the night tour of duty. He reported to the Supervisor and was told to empty all of the canvas bags that contained assorted parcels onto a conveyor belt where other workers were sorting them to the correct bins for distribution.
Working up a sweat, he made quick work of emptying all the bags. Intent on making a good impression on the Supervisor, he asked what he could do next to help move the mail. He was told to unload a truck that was backed up to the platform, full of other bags containing more parcels.
When the truck was empty, another Supervisor told him to roll the float full of bags inside and dump the parcels onto the conveyor belt. These orders were repeated throughout his tour of duty, and as soon as he completed one task, another would be waiting. When all the parcels had been dumped and sorted, he was told to clock out.
Each night during his first three months, his duties were the same-old, same-old. He rationalized that the job that he had been assigned was critical to the smooth operation, and that he had been hand-picked because of his obvious intelligence and devotion to his job.
He gradually became more adept at assuring the parcels were unloaded and dumped as per his instructions, and that he hardly had to ask any questions as to what to do next.
His ability to do the assigned work with minimal supervision led him to believe that he was an essential part of the entire Postal operation. Thus, it was during his six month evaluation period that he approached his immediate Supervisor with the question:
“Tomorrow is my Wife’s and My anniversary. Do you think you can get along without me if I carry her to dinner and a movie tomorrow night?”
The Supervisor’s reply was immediate, “I KNOW DAMNED WELL WE CAN.”
My friend’s ego actually made a noise as it deflated.
Demijon
Down is the only route when the wind is taken from our sails. Dj.
