Use your pencil wisely
Have you ever asked yourself why the size of the rubber in the end of the pencil is too tiny compared to the length of the pencil itself? It’s like a message that says, “Use your pencil wisely.”
As a pencil user you are so limited by the amount of mistakes you are allowed to make! No wonder you find most people “outsourcing” a king-size external rubber, so they can be allowed to make mistakes, so they can feel free, and eventually they will be less stressed and more secure. However, not all people can afford to buy a pencil in addition to the king-size rubber. Even if everyone could, in the business world things are a bit different.
Technology brings better results but makes people less intelligent
As an organization you are bounded to several variables; financial ones and others that are related to customer loyalty and satisfaction. You cannot afford to lose them or you will be out of the business. Therefore, in the business world your organization should function with the pencil theory, you are only allowed to do a very limited percentage of mistakes, one that would fit the size of the mini-rubber in the end of your pencil. This is assured by quality management, risk management and an efficient auditing team. These are the people you need to invest in.
In the old days, people used typewriters. One mistake made the person repeat everything, and thus waste time, ink, paper and energy. However, subconsciously these people became well-trained to not do mistakes. They applied the pencil theory very well.
Nowadays technology solved most of these problems. There is a spelling check, there is a delete and a copy and paste option. Technology gave some room for mistakes, because technology helps the user to manage and audit their own mistakes or errors. On the other hand, technology makes a person dependent, and yes it saved time and limited the errors, but the skill to individually control the mistake gradually decreases and sometimes disappears. Technology brings better results but makes people less intelligent, to some extent this could be true.
People appreciate effort and originality more than end results
What do you care about the most: the output or the intelligence of your employees? Well this is a difficult question indeed. The answer to this question depends on which department do you work in; a department that is people oriented like the HR department or one that is result oriented like the operations or the finance department? The answer to this question also depends on the mission of the organization and its culture, as it also depends on whether the person is thinking in terms of long term results or short term ones?
As an example to this, some products are sold as “handmade” items. These are usually much more expensive and people look up to such a product with pride and appreciation. They see it from this particular perception because most of the substitutes are manufactured in a factory by a machine, while this handmade product is more “human”. They appreciate it because its creator applied the pencil theory while working on it, and he/she was an excellent risk control manager. People would accept an error in a handmade item but would strongly criticize a smaller error in an item manufactured by a machine. People appreciate “effort” and “originality” more than end results.
The Pencil Theory could be a bit challenging but be thankful, there are some other pencils that do not have a rubber to erase their errors!
By: Mahmoud Mansi
Photography: Mai El Hawary