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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 an associate I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
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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.”
Source: (Management Humour)
Are managers truly unaware of where they headed? Or, is the world changing so rapidly that it is difficult for managers to keep pace and be as efficient and effective as before? Although the hot air balloon incident is a politically incorrect and strongly opinioned joke taken from a random website, it contains a strapping message and gives the impression of how managers are stereotyped in today’s dynamic business environment.“There are too many people who have been there too long and we need new management from outside’’. These are the words spoken by Eric Jackson of Ironfire Capital at Yahoo’s annual meeting on August 1, 2008 (No Fireworks at Yahoo Meeting). Such is the sentiment that prevails today, even towards highly talented individuals such as Jerry Yang, co-founder and CEO of Yahoo.Globalization and fast changing technology have made a manager’s job dramatically challenging. Thomas (2003, p. 1) notes ‘It’s not easy being a manager today. There’s a lot to do, a lot to understand, a lot to learn. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.
