Page 49 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People
P. 49
Understanding Higher Math
training, loss prevention, wellness, and benefits, the
so-called soft matters that are essential to sustainabil-
ity but rarely create a short-term return on investment.
Amid the complexity of these trends, a fable comes
to mind—one we learned as children: “The Goose
That Laid the Golden Eggs.”
A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess
a goose that laid a golden egg each day. Despite the
fact that fate had smiled on them, it wasn’t long
before their greed took control. Imagining that the
bird’s insides must be made of gold, they decided to
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kill the goose to build their fortune at once. Upon =
the bird’s death, they found that it was like any other
goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they
had hoped, nor enjoyed the daily addition to their
wealth any longer.
d
Understanding this fable is critical to grasping
higher math. It involves a conscious choice: either you
pay attention to the people producing the results or
you never realize their maximum potential. Too often,
detached business leaders concentrate on what is next
rather than proactively attacking what is now. The
