In 1899, a man by the name of Elbert Hubbard wrote an essay about the heroism of an unsung man during the Spanish-American War. Entitled "A Message to Garcia", Hubbard published this essay in his magazine, "The Philistine". The issue sold out almost immediately. Hubbard's printing factory worked night after night reprinting the same issue, as New York Central Railroad ordered over 1 million copies.
Before long, the article was ordered for every member of the American Navy and every Boy Scout. "A Message to Garcia" was translated into Russian and distributed throughout Russia to railroad workers. By the Russo-Japanese War, most of the captive Russian soldiers were said to carry this essay. The Japanese army could not understand why so many soldiers carried it, until it was translated into Japanese and brought to the attention of Emperor Meiji. The emperor immediately ordered that the essay be distributed to all members of the imperial army and all members of the government. The essay was eventually translated and published in 20 countries.
"A Message to Garcia" teaches an important set of values. The story takes place during the Spanish-American War. The American government needed to make emergency contact with the leader of the rebel forces. The rebel leader, Garcia, had a stronghold somewhere in the Cuban mountains, but no one knew where. There was nowhere to send a letter or telegram, but the U.S. President needed cooperation from Garcia as soon as possible. No one knew what to do. That was when someone told the President, "There's a man named 'Rowan'. If anyone can find Garcia, he can."
Rowan was brought to the President's office and handed a message for Garcia. Rowan sealed the message in an oil-skin pouch and tied it around his chest. Four days later, he arrived at the coast of Cuba and secretly used a small boat at night to come ashore. With that, he disappeared into the jungle. Three weeks later, Rowan finally appeared on the opposite side of the island. Cutting through enemy territory, Rowan had delivered the message to Garcia. He made no attempt to describe his story anything further. One of the main points here is that when President McKinley handed the message to Rowan, Rowan simply took the letter, never asking any questions, not even Garcia's location.
This is the story of a man who stood tall, fulfilled expectations, acted swiftly, and concentrated his energy into his actions. And all the president had to say was, "Deliver this message to Garcia."
General Garcia is long dead, but there are still many Garcias out there. Although you may struggle to achieve a goal, in some cases, everything may go wrong all due to one foolish, insignificant act.
What is a foolish, insignificant act? It is an unfocused act from someone who does not want to be doing anything. It is the obvious result of shoddy work, carelessness, apathy, and a lazy attitude towards work. |
When dealing with these sorts of employees, there is very little that anyone can do to make them work. You can yell, or leash them tight, or try plying them with drinks or money. Or perhaps you may even need divine intervention, for some people will not move for anything short of a miracle or angel sent from the heavens.
The story related in this essay comes from one century ago, but it is still relevant today. It seems that people’s mentality has made far less progress compared to advancements of modern conveniences.
Imagine that a manager asks an employee to complete a job. How might they respond?
"You want me to do it?"
"I've never done that before."
"I never learned how."
"I don't understand."
"Are you sure you mean me? (Because I don't want to.)"
"How long can I take?"
"Do you need this right away?"
"Where are all of the materials?"
"Should I start now?"
"Who should I talk to?"
Unless the manager has the patience to answer all of these questions, they will likely respond, "Forget about it,"and then they will take the faster route by staying late to do the work themselves. I'm sure you've seen many managers late at night doing just this. These employees, with their failure to act, foolishness, lack of drive, weak will, and inability to happily listen to and act upon orders, do not seem to realize that this hard work is all to their benefit.
Some people think that simply showing up on time every day and getting the basic job done is enough to improve your worth as a worker. Could these people deliver the message to Garcia?
We are all looking for employees who will work equally hard, regardless of whether their boss is looking over their shoulder. Who will accept the message for Garcia without objection, without asking petty questions, without tossing it into the river, but will instead put their life on the line to deliver the message? These types of employees will never be dismissed, and they will never need to strike, because people will know their worth.
Why is it that now, as 100 years ago, people throughout the world are still seeking this type of person. Perhaps because, with this type of person at your side, you can accomplish anything. In every town and village, in every office building or factory or shop, owners are looking for these types of people. TECS is looking for these people, too. Wherever you look, employers are in great need. Now more than ever, we are looking for people who will deliver a message to Garcia.
Reference:
"University of Success"
By Og Mandino, Translated by Tadaaki Hakoda, Published by Japan Management Consultants Association |
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