Management Contracting
"Making It"
Knowledge, Wisdom, and Guidance for The Talented at Heart
by
David Hamilton
Say what you mean, mean what you say, and stick to it !
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Here is a true story about a realistic venture in indecision, which happens all
the time.... This story has been posted in world wide news papers to give
examples of what happens when your word becomes un believable .....
One morning a faculty member went into the dean's office at a local college
and said, according to my two year contract, I can resign the contract at the
end of this academic year and continue to be paid the contract amount, or I can
decline the contract and resign. The dean thanked him for the information and
thanked him for coming in early enough to plan for the hire of another teacher.
The following day the faculty member went into the dean's office and decided
he wanted to stay after all and that he had made a bad decision based on his
wife's planning. The dean was happy to have him back and there was no
interference with the scheduling and hiring he would have had to start thinking
about.
Not a day later, the faculty member went into the dean's office and said, I have
decided that leaving is the best thing for me and that I am very sorry for any
inconvenience that this may be causing. The dean shook his head taking him a
little less accepting , and said I suppose this is the best thing then for you,
thank you.
A week later, the same exact thing happened, the faculty member walked in
wanting his job, saying, I do want to return next year. The dean finally said to
him, " Tell me once and for all, what you plan to do. Tell me tomorrow morning
once and for all, and your decision will be final. If you plan to stay, great, I
want you, if you plan to leave, I need to plan on hiring your replacement, but
your decision will be final.
The next day the faculty member decided he was leaving, done deal, gone at the
end of the year
A week later, the faculty member came in and said, I have decided to stay and
this is my final decision, I will not change my mind again. I love the school, I
love my salary, and my wife has made bad planning for next year. The dean looked
at him and said, no, you made your final decision and that is it, I have already
made a new hire, I am sorry but if you wish to work next year, you will now have
to go out and find another job on your own.
The point of this situation is that when you make a decision, regardless of what
it is, you have to take in the consideration that things will change as times
passes, and that your decision will effect the whole scenario that is being
established. Everyone has the responsibility to be specific and to live with the
consequences of the decisions made, good or bad. Once you make a decision in
life, you can't always go back on default. This is the reality of living life
and what life gives us. When signing a contract, miscalculations can be harsh,
devastating, and seriously costly to you and your counterparts.