A man in a hot air
balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He
descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a
friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied,
“You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees
west longitude.”
“You must be an
engineer,” said the balloonist.
“I am,” replied the
woman, “How did you know?”
“Well,” answered the
balloonist, “everything you told me is, technically correct, but I’ve no idea
what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly,
you’ve not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”
The woman below
responded, “You must be in Management.”
“I am,” replied the
balloonist, “but how did you know?”
“Well,” said the woman,
“you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You have risen to where
you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no
idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The
fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but
now, somehow, it’s my fault.”