John, a woodcutter,
worked for a company for five years but never got a raise. The company
hired Bill and within a year he got a raise. Then John resented Bill’s
getting a raise after only a year and went to his boss to talk about it.
The boss said, “You are still cutting the same number of trees you were
cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be
happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up.” John went back,
started hitting harder and putting in longer hours but still wasn’t
able to cut more trees. He went back to his boss and told him his
dilemma. The boss told John to go talk to Bill. “Maybe there is
something Bill knows that you and I don’t.”
John asked Bill how he managed to cut more trees. Bill answered, “After every
tree I cut, I take a break for two minutes and sharpened my axe.When was the last time you sharpened your axe?"
