Although his existence remains uncertain, his fables are real and have been carried throughout the ages to be told and taught as part of a storytelling tradition that remains till this day.
His fable of a shepherd boy who cried wolf is an example of one of his famous stories.
It is used in kinder-gardens and schools all across the globe as a cautionary tale about telling the truth.
Ya, I don't think that worked well for a big chunk of humanity.
In fact, recent studies showed that telling this story increased the likelihood of children telling lies or altering the truth to their advantage and amusement...to become Aesop storytellers themselves.
Back to the land of grownups, and specifically the part where we have to work to earn money and be happy (a fable by itself), shouting wolf, or raising false alarms is a common thing.
We get requests all the time that are labeled urgent or marked with the 'Bang' exclamation mark !
You get a pile of work thrown at you and you are told it is needed urgently.
Now, that's ok at times and I'm sure a lot of us deal with those types of requests where we have to spend some extra time after working hours or take it back home, if you're that type of person.
But what happens when you're consistently bombarded with them? simple, you get pissed! and your work enthusiasm drops, not to mention the fact that when you get more urgent requests (whether they truly are or not) they all become the same.
Some of you might say: "Nah, you don't know how to prioritize! I don't get that because I know how to organize myself...just learn from me."
Yes I do agree that prioritizing is an important skill, but not as important as planning.
If you plan correctly, know exactly what is at hand, and allocate the appropriate resources available, you will avoid the headache of scrambling every one around you and screaming DEFCON 1 !
And prioritizing is something that we all do inherently, whether you notice it or not, and some are just better at it... but what happens when you work over a long period of time and everything is urgent?
I was discussing this with one of my friends who also works in the same field, he and many others get a kick out of having an agency or a consultancy slaving for them.
"I get to tell them what I want, when I want, and they have to do it...that's what they are paid for!"
Some business owners say the same thing when referring to their employees.
Yes, you do pay them to work for you but you don't own them.
Plus, that shows how bad of a manager you are.
Your people skills are just as important as any other skill, and you will loose good talents that just won't take your crap.
Don't care? more slaves will replace them?
Sure you can do that if you can afford the time and money you'll loose in the process. Although, your reputation as an unprofessional asswhole will stick to you like gum on a new sneaker.
Stop sadistically managing people with a horsewhip (keep that for the bedroom ;p) and learn to appreciate people and their right to rest and disengage from work.
Or give them the option to do the required 'unplanned' work and pay them or reward them for it.
They will appreciate it and their job satisfaction will increase.
It's either that, or someday when a real wolf comes along, you won't find any villagers running up the hill to help you.
