Why Can’t I Have A Boss Like That?

Once there was a lab technician, named Sam. Sam had forgotten to open a critical valve on a piece of equipment he was using. The pressure built up in the system and caused it to malfunction. The resulting damage cost $250,000 to repair.

The next week, Sam’s boss called him in to talk about it. Sam had already cleared his workspace, figuring that he was about to get fired.

Sure enough, his boss started grilling him, asking why he didn't do a proper check of the equipment first, and reviewing his past performance.

Then the boss said, “Alright. Get back to work and don’t let it happen again.”

Sam was momentarily stunned. "Am I not getting fired?” he said. “I thought that’s what you were going to tell me.”

His boss said "No way! I just spent $250,000 teaching you a lesson you'll never forget. Why would I fire you now?"