The Business Executive

Story: A business manager went on holiday to an island in Greece.

One day, while he was on the beach, he was called up on his mobile phone by his secretary, wanting some help. He gave her some instructions and told her to call him back when she had finished.

As he was pacing up and down waiting for a return phone call, he came across a fisherman, dozing in the shade of his fishing boat, that had been pulled up on the beach.

As the manager passed, the fisherman woke up and the manager decided to talk to him.

“The weather is great and there’s lots of fish. So how come you are sitting about here - when you could be out there - catching more fish?”

Gently, the fisherman replied: “Because I caught enough this morning”

“But just imagine” the manager replied “if you went out twice a day, you could bring home twice as much fish. And do you know what could happen?

Puzzled, the fisherman shook his head.

“Well” the manager continued - waxing lyrical to his theme “you could buy yourself a motorboat. And then, after say a couple of years you could buy a second one. Then perhaps after three years you could have a cutter or two.

And just think, one day you might be able to buy a freezing plant. Then you could go on to get your own helicopter to help you trace shoals of fish for your fishing fleet.

You could then buy your own truck to ship the fish to the capital thereby cutting out the middle man”

“And then what” the fisherman replied. “And then “ the manager concluded triumphantly “ you wouldn’t have to worry. You could then sit down calmly on the beach, dozing in the sun and looking at the beautiful ocean.”

“ Well., what do you think I am doing now!” the fisherman replied.

The Business Executive (from J. John Ten Living the Ten Commandments in the 21st Century p. 186-7)