LETTER TO THE EDITOR
20 January 2025
David:
Francis Kong is a leading Filipino management speaker, business consultant and columnist for the Philippine Star newspaper, particularly on personnel management matters; from whom I have learned a lot over the past few years. Francis usually opens his articles with a humorous – but nevertheless pertinent – anecdote to set the theme for his message of the day. Recently, the following excerpt from a more extensive presentation on organizational management particularly struck my funny-bone, and — as a systematic tools & techniques-oriented type myself — I thought some, if not all, of your world-wide audience might also appreciate it!
The head of the recruitment agency presented their “prized catch” to the managing director and asked:
“Sir, we found three candidates as per your requirements. How do you want their placements, Sir?”
The managing director said:
“To ensure that the people are placed in the right fit, put about 100 bricks in a closed room. Then, send the candidates into the room and close the door. Leave them alone, come back after a few hours and analyze the situation:
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- If they count the bricks, put them in the accounts department.
- If they are recounting the bricks, put them in auditing.
- If they messed up the whole room with the bricks, put them in engineering.
- If they arrange the bricks in some strange order, put them in planning.
- If they throw the bricks at each other, put them in operations.
- If they are sleeping, put them in security.
- If they broke the bricks into pieces, put them in information technology.
- If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a single brick has been moved, put them in sales.
- If they have already left for the day, put them in marketing.
- If they are staring out the window, put them in strategic planning.
- If they are talking to each other and not a single brick has been touched, congratulate them and put them in top management.
‘Corporate values’
BUSINESS MATTERS BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE
– Francis J. Kong –
The Philippine Star
January 18, 2025 | 12:00am
Manila, The Philippines