Chapter 1. Organizing for the Long Term

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

—GEORGE S. PATTON

The new clerk in the mailroom noticed an elderly gentleman sitting in a corner, slowly sorting through a mountain of mail.

"Who's that?" he asked the supervisor.

"That's old Charlie. He's been with the company more than forty years."

The new clerk asked, "Are you saying he never made it out of the mailroom?"

"He did, but then he asked to be transferred here—after spending a few years as a project manager."