Lundi 10 août 2009
Je dis "souvenez-vous" parce que, à mon souvenir, cette histoire a fait partie des premiers mailing viraux au début de l'utilisation des mails dans les entreprises (avant qu'on nous menace de
damnation éternelle si on ne forwarde pas un essage prétenduement écrit par le Dalai Lama - je ne supporte pas ce chantage manichéen).
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Au bord de l’eau, dans un petit village côtier mexicain, un bateau rentre au port, ramenant plusieurs thons. L’Américain complimente le pêcheur mexicain sur la qualité de ses poissons et lui
demande combien de temps il lui a fallu pour les capturer.
- Pas très longtemps, répond le Mexicain.
- Mais alors, pourquoi n’êtes-vous pas resté en mer plus longtemps pour en attraper plus ? demande l’Américain.
Le Mexicain répond que ces quelques poissons suffiront à subvenir aux besoins de sa famille. L’Américain demande alors :
- Mais que faites-vous le reste du temps ?
- Je fais la grasse matinée, je joue avec mes enfants, je fais la sieste avec ma femme. Le soir, je vais au village voir mes amis. Nous buvons du vin et jouons de la guitare. J’ai une vie bien
remplie.
L’Américain l’interrompt :
- J’ai un diplôme de l’Université de Harvard et je peux vous aider. Vous devriez commencer par pêcher plus longtemps. Avec les bénéfices dégagés, vous pourriez acheter un plus gros bateau. Avec
l’argent que vous rapporterait ce bateau, vous pourriez en acheter un deuxième et ainsi de suite jusqu’à ce que vous possédiez une flotte de chalutiers. Au lieu de vendre vos poissons à un
intermédiaire, vous pourriez négocier directement avec l’usine, et même ouvrir votre propre usine. Vous pourriez alors quitter votre petit village pour Mexico City, Los Angeles, puis peut-être
New-York, d’où vous dirigeriez toutes vos affaires.
Le Mexicain demande alors :
- Combien de temps cela prendrait-il ?
- 15 à 20 ans, répond le banquier américain.
- Et après ?
- Après, c’est là que ça devient intéressant, répond l’Américain en riant, quand le moment sera venu, vous pourrez introduire votre société en bourse et vous gagnerez des millions.
- Des millions ? Mais après ?
- Après, vous pourrez prendre votre retraite, habiter dans un petit village côtier, faire la grasse matinée, jouer avec vos petits-enfants, faire la sieste avec votre femme et passer vos soirées
à boire et à jouer de la guitare avec vos amis.
(un diptyque naturel, souvenir du Vietnam - a natural diptyque, a memory from my Vietnam trip)
I say "remember" because as far as I recall, this tale was one of the first viral mails sent at the beginnign of email use in companies; long before we were hreatened with eternal
damnation when not forwarding a so-called message from the Dalai Lama - I simply hate this kind of spiritual blackmailing)
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied – “Only a little while.”
The American then asked – “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
The Mexican said that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked – “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said – “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife and then each evening I stroll into the village where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos – I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed – “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing. With the proceeds you could buy a bigger boat and then several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small fishing village and move to Mexico City – then L.A. and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked – “But how long will this all take?” – to which the American replied – “15 to 20 years.”
“But what then?”
“That’s the best part – when the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company’s stock to the public – and become very rich – you would make millions.”
“Then what?”
“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your grand kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll into the village in the evening where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied – “Only a little while.”
The American then asked – “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
The Mexican said that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked – “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said – “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife and then each evening I stroll into the village where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos – I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed – “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing. With the proceeds you could buy a bigger boat and then several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small fishing village and move to Mexico City – then L.A. and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked – “But how long will this all take?” – to which the American replied – “15 to 20 years.”
“But what then?”
“That’s the best part – when the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company’s stock to the public – and become very rich – you would make millions.”
“Then what?”
“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your grand kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll into the village in the evening where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
