The Goal

217

our ways . Can you tell us what we should do to correct the prob- lem?"

"I want you all to think about it as we walk back to your conference room and then we'll talk about what you should do," says Jonah. "The solution is fairly simple."

Just how simple the solution is doesn't become apparent to me until I'm home that night. I'm sitting at the kitchen table with a pad of paper and a pencil thinking about what was suggested today when Sharon comes in.

"Hi," she says as she sits down.

"Hi," I say back. "What's up?"

"Not much," she says. "Just wondered what you were do- ing."

"I'm working," I tell her.

"Can I help?" she asks.

"Well... I don't know," I say. "It's kind of technical. I think you'll probably be bored by it."

"Oh," she says. "Does that mean you want me to leave?"

Guilt strikes.

"No, not if you want to stay," I tell her. "Do you want to try to solve a problem?"

"Okay," she says, brightening.

I say, "All right. Let me think of how to put this to you. Do you know about the scout hike Dave and I were on?"

"She doesn't, but I do!" says Dave, racing into the kitchen. He skids to a stop on the smooth floor and says, "Sharon doesn't know anything about the hike. But I can help you."

I say, "Son, I think there is a career for you in sales."

Sharon indignantly says, "Yes, I d o know about the hike."

"You weren't even there," says Dave.

"I've heard everybody talk about it," she says.

"Okay, b o th of you can work on this," I say. "Here's the prob- lem: We've got a line of kids on a hike in the woods. In the middle of the line, we've got Herbie. We've already taken the pack off Herbie's back to help him go faster, but he's still the slowest. Everybody wants to go faster than Herbie. But if that happens, the line will spread out and some of the kids will get lost. For one reason or another, we can't move Herbie from the middle of the line. Now, how do we keep the line from spread- ing?"

They both become thoughtful.