Shooting the Bull

Here is the joke I promised in yesterday's 7 quick takes. I don't remember where I heard it, so I cannot provide any citation, but I do use it from time to time when teaching managers or managers-to-be.

A nattily dressed young man, clearly a transplant from the farm to the city, came into a cafe one day, pulling a bull behind him. He ordered a coffee, passed the time of day with some folks sitting near him, then pulled out a gun, shot the bull, and walked out. The cafe staff spent considerable time cleaning up the mess he left behind.

The next day the same young man appeared, pulling another bull. "Wait a minute," the cafe owner stopped him, "No bulls allowed. Yesterday we spent all day cleaning up the mess you left. What is going on here, anyway?"

The young man looked at him and replied, "I am in management training: get up in the morning, drink some coffee, shoot the bull, leave the mess for everyone else to clean up."

Sometimes it seems that is precisely what happens among the managers I work with! (Of course, I would never do anything of the sort -- if you ask me. Now if you were to ask someone else...on second thought, please don't!)

Have a happy Saturday, and if you shoot the bull, please clean up your own mess! ;)