Atlas Shrugged: Management Mistakes: Part 2

Continued from Atlas Shrugged: Management Mistakes. Situation 3 One evening, a broken down train stands before an 8 mile tunnel. A diesel engine is needed to make it through the tunnel, but all that is available in the next few hours is a coal burning engine. Running a coal burner through the tunnel will suffocate everyone on board due to inadequate ventilation. The only reasonable situation is to wait longer for a diesel. However there is a powerful politician on board who wants to make his destination by morning. Years ago the politician had been taught that man does not need to live by reason. Years ago the politician had also been taught that the only effective means to impel men to action was fear. Here is the conversation between the politician and train conductor: Politician – “Damn your tunnel. I won’t be help up by your miserable tunnel. Do you want to wreck vital plans on account of a tunnel? Tell your engineer that I must be in San Francisco by evening and that he’s got to get me there!” Conductor – “How?” Politician – “That’s your job, not mine” Conductor – “There is no possible way to do it” Politician – “Then find a way damn you. Do you know who I am? Tell the engineer to start moving if he values his job. It’s not my problem to figure out how to get through the tunnel, it’s for you to figure out. But if you don’t get an engine and get don’t start train, you can kiss the railroad and your jobs goodbye” The politician wires the train company CEO who demands his COO solve the problem. The COO orders the regional manager to immediately provide an engine but doesn’t specify what kind. Then the COO drives to the country to make sure no one can reach him to cover his ass. The regional manager orders the branch manager to send a coal engine. The branch manager refuses and quits. The regional manager then orders an intern (who knows nothing) in the branch office to send a coal burner. The regional manager then proceeds to go on a hunt for an alternative even though he knows there is none to cover his ass. He does this to make sure he looks like he is working on the problem. The intern orders the engineer to drive the coal burner. The engineer refuses and quits. The intern is scared for his job so he finds an incompetent engineer who will comply. The intern is now cleared from blame as he was only following orders. The incompetent engineer takes the train through the tunnel – and you can guess the rest…