A famous shipyard in the 1970's. One day before the maiden voyage of their biggest ship to date. She wouldn't start. Something wrong with the boiler.
Checked every nut, tightened every bolt. Still nothing.
They sent for an expert. A guy from Hamburg.
Scratched his beard. Said: "My fee's $ 1000."
The foreman nodded frantically.
"Stand back," said the expert.
He gave the boiler an almighty wallop with his hammer. It hiccuped, burped, chugged into life. The foreman stood aghast.
"$1000 for one thump with a hammer?"
"No," said the expert. "For one thump with the hammer, one pound. For knowing where to thump, nine hundred and ninetynine."
Checked every nut, tightened every bolt. Still nothing.
They sent for an expert. A guy from Hamburg.
Scratched his beard. Said: "My fee's $ 1000."
The foreman nodded frantically.
"Stand back," said the expert.
He gave the boiler an almighty wallop with his hammer. It hiccuped, burped, chugged into life. The foreman stood aghast.
"$1000 for one thump with a hammer?"
"No," said the expert. "For one thump with the hammer, one pound. For knowing where to thump, nine hundred and ninetynine."
Moral: Expertise is not counted in what people do, but in what people know.
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(c) ManageTrainLearn 2009