management
The Shovel and the Bar
28/06/08 12:10 Filed in: General
When digging a post hole by hand, there are two
stages.
The first stage involves digging the hole, the second, planting the post.
When digging a post hole by hand there are two tools.
A crowbar and a shovel. For a standard hole in standard dirt, the crowbar is heavy but does little. The shovel is light but does lots.
To a novice, one just starting out, it would appear based on initial observation, that the crowbar would be the easiest tool to use. You use its weight to break up the dirt and rock, so the shovel can get it out of the ground. The work of the bar at the outset is very light, a couple of smacks and then it’s back to the shovel. Indeed, to a beginner, the shovel is doing all the work. The time taken for the shovel to remove the dirt far exceeds the time taken to break it up.
Not only does it take longer, there is an art to removing dirt from a post hole efficiently without dirt falling back into the hole. The shoveller’s skill comes into play the deeper the hole gets. No such skill required for the bar.
Let’s sum up so far.
Crowbar: light, intermittent work. Requires no skill.
Shovel: constant work. Requires skill.
But now the hole has been dug, it’s time for stage two. The planting of the post.
This is where the novice who chose the crowbar suddenly realises that the light easy work earlier, turns into something else. For now, the crowbar is used to compact the dirt back in the hole around the base of the post. The shovel, merely places the dirt back in. The work of the bar becomes hard and heavy going. Not only do you need to use the weight of the bar, but you also need to force it down to compact the dirt.
The shoveller who earlier was working constantly is now taking it easy. The bar who was earlier taking it easier is working harder than the total combined effort of the shovel.
Let’s sum up:
Crowbar: light initial work requiring no skill creates constant work for the shovel, ending in severe effort to completion.
Shovel: constant work, have been created by the crowbar, requiring skill and ending in light effort to completion.
I’m a farmer, a simple kind of guy with a simple view of the world.
Why is it then, that when I think of I.T. Managers/Directors the image of a crow bar comes to mind?
The first stage involves digging the hole, the second, planting the post.
When digging a post hole by hand there are two tools.
A crowbar and a shovel. For a standard hole in standard dirt, the crowbar is heavy but does little. The shovel is light but does lots.
To a novice, one just starting out, it would appear based on initial observation, that the crowbar would be the easiest tool to use. You use its weight to break up the dirt and rock, so the shovel can get it out of the ground. The work of the bar at the outset is very light, a couple of smacks and then it’s back to the shovel. Indeed, to a beginner, the shovel is doing all the work. The time taken for the shovel to remove the dirt far exceeds the time taken to break it up.
Not only does it take longer, there is an art to removing dirt from a post hole efficiently without dirt falling back into the hole. The shoveller’s skill comes into play the deeper the hole gets. No such skill required for the bar.
Let’s sum up so far.
Crowbar: light, intermittent work. Requires no skill.
Shovel: constant work. Requires skill.
But now the hole has been dug, it’s time for stage two. The planting of the post.
This is where the novice who chose the crowbar suddenly realises that the light easy work earlier, turns into something else. For now, the crowbar is used to compact the dirt back in the hole around the base of the post. The shovel, merely places the dirt back in. The work of the bar becomes hard and heavy going. Not only do you need to use the weight of the bar, but you also need to force it down to compact the dirt.
The shoveller who earlier was working constantly is now taking it easy. The bar who was earlier taking it easier is working harder than the total combined effort of the shovel.
Let’s sum up:
Crowbar: light initial work requiring no skill creates constant work for the shovel, ending in severe effort to completion.
Shovel: constant work, have been created by the crowbar, requiring skill and ending in light effort to completion.
I’m a farmer, a simple kind of guy with a simple view of the world.
Why is it then, that when I think of I.T. Managers/Directors the image of a crow bar comes to mind?
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