The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-09-02
Bennington County Vermont
Improvement Association
This Section is Given up Weekly to Community Better
ment. The Material is Furnished by The County
Association. Headquarters, Savings Bank Building
Bennington, VT Secretary, Willard w. Bartlett.

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and to be doing his best. But TO ac-
knowledge frankly that man who is
not securing results is unsuccessful,
is not necessarily a reflection on that
man. II simply means that he is not
adapted for that line Of work, but
probably for some other. II ! were to
attempt to paint beautiful picture |
should make an awful daub; il you
were TO acknowledge fairly that | had
made blunder of it you would not be
injuring me but would simply be ac-
knowledging that was not fitted for
that particular line of work and you
probably would be doing me great
service if you assisted me into some
thing else. Executive ability is rare
and il is no disgrace to man if he
tries and fails. 1t simply means that
he is qualified not for this, but prob
ably for something else.
remember a man in an executive
position who said TO me at one time
"You can't accomplish anything here.
It is useless. The board of directors
will not respond. People will not come
out to the meetings. You simply cam
not do anything here" | wanted to
say to him, "My dear man, if they do
not respond, whose fault is it? You
are paid a salary here which is three
or four or five times what you could
earn as a laboring man because you
are supposed to have the ability to get
people to respond to the work. You
have drawn your salary but you have
not returned its value to the organiza-
ton. You do not belong in an execu-
tive position, that is all"
Some time ago | saw a letter OF
recommendation which had been writ
ten in behalf Of a man who was an
applicant for very high executive
position. The recommendation stated
the school from which he graduated,
the college where he had received his
degree, the university at which he had
studied; it stated that he was very
fine man, had no bad habits, had the
respect of every one, was thoroughly
honest and upright, pleasing in his
personality, ETC., etc. But nowhere in
that letter was there any statement
as to whether or not the man had ever
accomplished anything. There was
nothing in the letter from which you
could even get an idea as to whether
or not the man was able to accomplish
anything whatsoever. Now what did
we care about all these little things ?
They were very nice things to know,
but we wanted to put this man in a
position where he had to do things, and
the thing we wanted to know was
whether or not he was able to do
things. If you were going to the hos
pital for an operation, and were look
ing for surgeon on whom you could
depend and someone rwote you con-
corning surgeon and told you about
was, about his refined manners, how
was about his refined maners, how
honest and upright he was, ETC., what
would you say? Would you not say,
"Well, these things are all very nice,
but | want to know how this man can
handle the knife. Has he ever oper-
ated on a patient? What success has
he had? Can he do it ?" And yet we
will employ teachers and ministers and
secretaries of various organizations
where their work is to be executive,
where their chief duty will be to
accomplish things; we will ascertain
all the pleasing details without ever
once asking the question whether or
not they can bring things to pass.
| hold it as an axiom that we as
citizens should demand Of every
church, of every school, Of every boord
of trade, of every Y. NJ. C. A., Of
every social uplift organization Of
whatever character, that they produce
actual results in the community. II
we are members Of any organization
that is not producing definite results,
it is our duty to do one Of two things,
either to kill the organization at
once or to see to it that the officers
are removed and new set Of officers
are elected who will bring about re-
suits. Sympathy for an inefficient
man should never retain him in an
executive position twenty-four hours.
| do not care if have sick wife and
ten children who are going to starve
if do not keep the position, yet ! do
not want TO be retained in an execu-
tive position for twenty-four hours
unless | can produce results. IL |
were working in factory there might
be some excuse, it might be even
laudable in the foreman TO retain me
on account of my family circum-
stances even though was doing in
efficient work. But when | am in a