The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a boat race. Both
teams practiced long and hard to reach their peek performance levels. On
the big day both teams felt ready, however, the Japanese won by a mile.

The American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Corporate
Management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found,
so a consulting firm was hired to investigate the problem and recommend
corrective action.

The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one
person steering. The American team had one person rowing and eight people
steering.

After one year of studies and millions spent analyzing the problem, the
consultant firm concluded that too many people were steering and not enough
people were rowing on the American team. So as race day neared again the
following year, the American team's management structure was completely
reorganized. The new structure: four steering managers, three area steering
managers, and a performance review system for the person rowing the boat to
provide work incentive.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American Corporation laid off the rower for poor job
performance and gave the managers a bonus for discovering the problem.

__________________
<<Cheer up, the worst is yet to come.>>