Never Assume – Communicate Clearly

Let’s take a journey to a Lancashire mill town in the 1950s, somewhere like Blackburn or Bolton.

The setting was that the mills were the primary source of employment.  When a person left School, they knew that they would be joining Mum, Dad, older Brothers and Sisters and their extended family in this same work environment.

One job everyone relied on lay in the hands of the Foreman who had the important task of sounding the “Noon Hooter”.

Simply put, sounding the “Noon Hooter” was the call for the Town to stop work for lunch, very much awaited by all workers.

The Foreman took this responsibility very seriously. Every morning he took the same route to work, always walking up the High Street.  Each day he would stop at a jewellers shop, take a brief look at the window display and then complete his journey to the mill.

The Proprietor of the shop became curious.  This man had never entered his shop to purchase anything or asked for advice.  Sensing a possible sale he determined to speak to the Foreman the next morning.

Exactly on time the next morning the Foreman used his same routine and was found looking in the shop window once again.  As he was about to move away the Proprietor joined him outside wanting to learn more.

“Excuse me”, he said, “I couldn’t help noticing that you look in my window every morning and I wondered if I could help at all?”

“Not really”, replied the Foreman, “I have an important task at the mill and I like to be accurate.  I sound the “Noon Hooter”, so every morning I look at the quality clock in your window, set my watch and then know my timing is right since everyone relies on it”.

“That’s a fine attitude”, responded the Proprietor, “but there is one flaw.  I set the clock for accuracy by the “Noon Hooter” each day!”

Moral of the story:

We can act in good faith but unless we are sure of our facts, our chances of getting things right are reduced.