Keyword: Accountability

Sometimes, in business, undesirable situations arise seemingly out of nowhere.

One example of this is the recent conundrum created here at headquarters with regards to plastic utensils commonly know as "sporks". It seems that most people prefer either a spoon or a fork so no one really uses them. There had been a box of these things in the break room for several years. Little did we know, the new guy in R&D uses sporks regularly (he's a big fan of cole slaw). After a month or so of his spork use, the supply in the break room ran out. He told the assistant to the HR Director that we were out of sporks. The assistant in turn told the HR director who then went to work on the process of getting more sporks. Much to her surprise, our Corporate structure did not assign this task to anyone. There is NO ONE IN CHARGE OF SPORKS!!

Should we, as founders of the company have been able to foresee the need for assignment of this responsibility? How did the original box of sporks get there...and shouldn't whoever put it there be the one to replace it? Or should the person who used the last spork have to replace the box?

Quite a Pickle.

I pondered for many seconds about the dilemma. I thought about stopping this writing here and making it a P.T.B.F.O. (see prior posts) but then, it hit me! I recalled a term from my days as a rank-and-file nine-to-five working stiff. "Accountability". You must define the roles and responsibilities of each employee. You must give them the tools to live up to those responsibilities. And you must hold them accountable when they do not live up to them.

This lead me to the decision which I decided when I thought about trying to chose one of many (or two of a few) solutions to the problem regarding the aforementioned sporks. I created a new position.

At this time I would like to announce an opening for the position of Director of Spork and Bendy-straw Supply and Demand Monitoring (I added bendy-straws in there because I love the damn things). We seek to promote from within. The position will report directly to the Vice President of Minor Disaster Avoidance. The VP of MDA will now have the added role and responsibility of ordering more Sporks and Bendy-straws when needed.

Please send resumes and reference letters (use the proper template please) to:



Director of Spork and Bendy-straw Supply and Demand Monitoring
c/o Crock, Inc.
921 Director of Spork and Bendy-straw Supply and Demand Monitoring Drive
Pork, NH 20010


....or simply email to me