The General and the CEO – from Supercoach, by Michael Neill
A four star general was taking a tour of the company that had been hired by the military to complete a major defense contract.
Despite the CEO’s assurance that this particular project would be completed on time, the general felt that the CEO’s team was not 100% committed to getting the job done. He argued that they should remain at work and do “whatever it takes” to succeed, even if it meant working much longer hours, taking extra time away from home and family, and putting themselves under additional personal pressure and stress. He told the CEO that understanding personnel management was like eating bacon and eggs for breakfast: the chicken was involved, the pig was committed.
The contractor smiled and said, “well that’s true, General, but the pig is dead, and the chicken is still producing eggs. I want my people to stay involved!”
The General backed down, and the project was completed on time!
