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 a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I
don't know where I
am." 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."
Later,
