A big company decided to send three employees to a professional development program.
The first one to go was a data analyst.
He came back three days later and reported: “The course was fascinating. They taught us how to build a full analytical model. The model doesn’t actually work yet, but hey — the architecture is gorgeous.”
The second one was a sales manager.
He returned after two days and announced: “Fantastic training. They taught us how to sell anything. If you want, I can sell you my completion certificate — it’s still warm.”
The third was a logistics specialist.
He didn’t return after three days.
Not after five.
Two weeks went by before he finally walked back into the office — tanned, relaxed, and looking extremely pleased with himself.
Everyone rushed him: “Where have you been?!”
He shrugged: “Well… did anyone book me a return date?
Did anyone put down the office address?
Did anyone list a contact person in case I got lost?
No? Thought so.
So I applied what they taught us — systems thinking.
Step one: go to the beach.
Step two: think.
Step three: return when it makes sense.”