The Washington times., 1918-03-03
MAKING YOUR
JOB PAY
Don't Be. Afraid to
Listen to People
with Ideas.
By Beatrice Fairfax.

TO give you a helpful suggeS-
tion. You never can tell quite
what suggestion would repay you
for a little following up"
A few years ago an inventor
came to a man knew with an Idea
for labelling bottles by machinery.
I am not sure that any labelling
machine" was ever perfected or
paid for the patenting II It was.
That isn't the point of my story.
The point is that the man whom
the inventor approached was too
impatient to give him a hearing.
Haven't time to listen TO these
crazy, new tangled notions" said
he. I'll take the stun that's
proved itseIf--not the freak '5~as
that need whole lot of coddling
and then probably won't make good
anyway"
Now. the labelling machine Itself
may or may not have been import
ant. But refusing to see a man
who had ideas was mighty i'm
portant! The inventor went into
the factory OF another man who did
give him a hearing and some OF
the really vital improvements in
AutomobIls machinery are due to
him. The man who employed him
says that giving "a wildcat inven-
tor a hearing has netted him about
half a million dollars TO date.
The world is full of annoying peo-
pie who know how to do your
work much better than you do. TIE
cid quotation about the skill old
maids have in bringing up other
/ peoples babies is world famous.
: Only one ont of the ten people
( who waste your time in idle sug-
( gestions may have a really valuable
, idea Don't sit. around for hours
listening 20 Missionaries. but do take
an amiabls and Intelligent interest
! IN the hints which older. wiser and /
more experienced folks are Eener-
Gus enough to offer you.
A great many people seem to
stumble upon, the correct solution
of their problems. But stumbling
/, blindly to success Is a gamble. ard
vIsioninE growth IS an Intelligent.
Imaginative. "surs-fire" proceeding.
The way to succeed Is to get all
the facts bearing on your case. 10
see which are important and which
negligible, to find out why certain
causes produca certain effects, and
30 to know afhfdE "a advance what
results you are goIHEito get, from
cause. There are four steps there
which you really must learn to take
IL you want TO grow. And every
bit OF suggestion. and advice you
get may help you to take them.
Suppose We. look at these steps
carefully.
First-Get-th ths facts in the case
seconds-Fin4 which are true and
which false: which important and
which negligible.
Third-Ses how certain methods
work out certain ways, how certain
efforts bring certain conclusions.
Figure what helps you and what
injures-whAt IS waste effort and
what producss results.
Fourth-Decids on the actual re-
suits you wafft And what causes,
efforts and energies win help you
toward your goal atF
These things you do up in your
own mind-but you must have deh-
mite data on which to work. And
the people Tnu are working with
can help supply you with the data.
4 friend Of mine was going TO
see an important man. on whom Il
was desirable he should make a
good impression. when he came in
the office boy. who knew him, said:
He's awful Er0uchy to-day. His
baby'G teefhipE. And the MissuA
iS sick l wouldn't 90 in 10 see him
II ! was you"
Ny friend didn't
OF course. he might have told the
office boy 30 attend TO his own af-
fairs and suggested that he should
not be EossipinS about the affairs
OF his chief Bpt neither Of these I
courses would have been in keeping
with the boys friendly intentions.
The lion and the mouse idea goes
all through business.
But get this clearly in your mind
no one can take away your own
responsibility for achieving your
own success-no one can solve your
problems for you. but anyone. in
GLIDING the 3anitor and the office
hoy. may give you 4 really useful
bit OF information.
Never let yourself descend TO an
exchange Of office gossip. TO dis
cussiou Of the affairs OF other peo-
pie in your working world. But
learn 10 curb your youthful iutoler-
nncs OF suggestion and TO react In
telliEently and politely to the kind
" hints your fellow workers give
XOu