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Frank
was only thirty-four years old when he was appointed
President of the bank.
He had set his goal to reach that
level, but couldn't believe
it could happen to him at such
an age.
He
was filled with trepidation as he walked into the bank the
first morning, even though
he had worked at the same bank
for eight years, working his
way up from teller. He walked
across the polished marble
floor straight to Mr. Hatcher's
office, the CEO, who had appointed
him as President.
He
tapped on the walnut door outside Mr. Hatcher's office
and was bid to enter.
Mr. Hatcher, a crusty old man with
silver hair and piercing blue
eyes, pointed to a deeply padded brown leather chair in front of his desk.
Frank sat down and waited for Mr. Hatcher to look back up from the pocket
knife he was sharpening on a whetstone.
After
what seemed like an eternity, the old man looked up,
wet his thumb and tested the
sharpness of the blade and
nodded to Frank. Frank immediately
began to speak: "Mr.
Hatcher, this being my first
day as President,... I was... uh,
wondering, Sir,with your
many years of experience in banking,
if you could give me some
sage advice. Being President carries
an enormous responsibility."
The
old man, who was known to be a man of few words, simply
said: "Right decisions!"
Frank,
wanting a little more than this, replied, "I appreciate
that, Sir, but could you
be a little more specific? I need your
advice on how to
make right decisions."
The old man simply replied: "Experience."
Frank
then said, "Yessir, and that's why I'm here, I don't
have that kind of experience.
How do I get it?"
The
old man just gave him a half smile and gruffly replied,
"Wrong decisions!"
"You
cannot create experience,
you undergo it."
ALBERT CAMUS
