Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-16
THE UNPRoDUCTlVE MAN
He Who Has Neither Imagination Nor
Ideas in Business.

Ideas in Business.
It is a commonplace that the really
valuable man in business or anything
else is the man who has ideas or
Imagination. Mr.. Lorin F. Deland,
writing in the Atlantic Monthly, tells
of a young man who went to him for
advice as to some way Of getting an
increase Of salary. He was even de-
batting whether he had not better give
up his situation and trust to luck to
find something better. Il urged him
at once against such a course says
the writer, land told him to look for
something better while he was holding
his present situation. I said to him:
mills, the important thing for
you in this matter is to ascertain
whether you are paid all that you are
worth and, that settled, whether you
can make yourself worth any more.
But first of all let us see If you can
make yourself worth any more,
whether you are paid for 1t or not. II
you can, you had better stick and look
for your raise at the first fair oppor-
tunity.' He agreed, and went ahead
with my plan.
First told him for thirty days to
put his mind on one thing-to devise
some method whereby his house could
sell at least $100 worth more Of goods.
1t must be a practical plan and should
be presented as any interested en-
ployee would present such a matter
to his superior.
Thirty days passed and Mills came
in again. With all his thinking he had
found no method by which the business
Of the firm could be extended even
500 a year
II then put him to work on his Sec
ond months labor-to discover any
method by which the firm could trans
act it's present volume of business
with greater economy, so that by i'm
proved methods there should be erect
ed a saving Of at least $50 year.
AT the end of the time he came
back to me with his report. He had
been able to discover no new method
whereby the firm could economiZe. He
had however, discovered one thing
namely, that he would not need to go
ahead for another thirty days with
our experiment, for he had about
made up his mind that he would con-
tinue where he was.
"'My boy I said to him, Just real
ize for a moment where you stand.
You are not able, though you have
worked three years in this house, to
increase the volume Of the business
500 a year, nor can you point out
way to save that amount. My warn
ing, Is lie low! Attract as little at
tention to yourself as you can. Don't
let the proprietors or the manager re-
member that you have been three
years in their employ If you can help
1t.
"'You are an absolutely unproduc-
tive man. l don't mean that you are
a bit inferior to thousands of other
young men who are in the stores and
wholesale houses of this city, but you,
like them, are simply sitting upon the
head Of one of the bright men in the
counting room. He has to solve all
these problems. You and fifty others
in your establishment are just sitting
on the top Of his head, like so many
dead weights. If the business pros
pers you expect a raise Of salary when
1t is his headwork that has gained
every inch of progress. He has to car
ry you ALL
1.-The young man went off, sadder
and wiser than he came. For five
years thereafter, in which l was able
to follow his course, he held the same
place at the same salary"