The Stolen Office

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What will you say when this story is over?  It begins with Matt Tisch in accounting talking with Janet Babcock in purchasing.

“Janet, how does one get an office around here?”

“Find an empty office and move in.  After a while, maybe people will get used to you being there, and then it’s yours.”  She laughs.

“You think so?  You think that might work?”

Janet laughs again, “Who knows?”

Later that day, Matt Tisch finds an empty office and moves into it.  It doesn’t take long before David Dykstra, controller, walks into Matt’s new office.

“Hi, Matt.  So how long do you plan on staying here?”

“Well, I’ve been here for a few hours.  I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Well, enjoy your new office for the rest of the day,” smiles David as he leaves.

The next morning Matt Tisch finds himself at his old desk, working hard.  When he leans back in his chair, he glances across the room and smiles.  He sees the name “Matt Tisch” still over the office he almost had.

The Moral of this Story 

1. Change is the only thing, if big enough, that brings new opportunities. Give me those Armstrongers who are crazy, wacky, daring, adventurous, risk takers, and they will bring us new, revolutionary, exciting, successful products, services, or quality improvements. We need more people like Matt Tisch if we're going to keep Armstrong International out of the grave.
2. Go ahead and fail, but fail with wit, fail with grace, fail with style.  "A mediocre failure is as insufferable as a mediocre success"-Tom Robbins, author.  Matt's taking an empty office without approval makes an exciting story.  The fact that he failed and was asked to leave the office by the end of the day was a failure with style, a failure with grace, pizzazz.  His failure was better than some of the successes I have seen.
3. Risk your job once a day.  I want more people who do things like taking offices without approval, who have the spirit, energy, passion for risk taking.
4. "The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it"-Confucius, 551-479 B.C.  Through my stories, I have tried to encourage risk takers.  Some Armstrongers are beginning to practice it.  Many are uncomfortable with the changes I am promoting.  Very few Armstrongers have yet to understand the importance of change and how it will help Armstrong survive.  How many of you are uncomfortable with this story?  Who knows?  Maybe Matt is correct, and the quickest way to get an office is to move in and bring attention to yourself.  Don't bother to copy what Matt did.  It won't work.  The risk was being the first to try it.

©1998 Once told, they're gold