Re: Smallest book in the world?

[John <jsdwd@ksc.th.com>]

on 8/13/01 2:29 am, pwagstaff at pwagstaff@supanet.com wrote:

> The following story leaves me feeling
> uneasy.  Perhaps I am missing something, but the behaviour described appears
> to me to be boorish and arrogant.

> Would someone please correct me if I have misunderstood this situation.

> John <jsdwd@ksc.th.com> writes
> 
>> One time in 1980 at Nashua Corp. (where I worked)
>> if he had any thoughts about what had been discussed.

.......snipped......


>> "It doesn't." Deming said.  "It doesn't apply to you at all.  It's all for
>> my benefit."  

Dr. Deming frequently cut people off in mid sentence or otherwise treated
them rather abruptly (I don't know that this rises to the level of
boorishness....arrogant it might have been).  That he did so in his public
seminars was widely known and people went anyway.

Maybe Deming was having a bad day.  He was obviously exasperated.

Perhaps Mr. Wagstaff will, on reflection tolerate my trampling on the limits
of his sense of propriety by relating this anecdote.  There is, of course,
variation among people in what they consider to be proper or rude.

I've been a consultant for 20 years so I've developed a thick skin.  People
have insulted me and offended me in so many ways, I couldn't possibly count
them all.  Perhaps I've grown insensitive.

When this happened, Deming had been consulting for well over 50 years.
Maybe (at age 81) he was out of patience.  I don't think his remarks were
helpful to that man, but I'm not sure what would have been more helpful.

Besides, I thought it was a funny story.  People are often the foil in humor
and in recent years some one or some group seems able to find offense in
about any joke.  But, of course,  there is variation among people with
regard to sense of humor.  At one extreme are the perpetual gigglers and at
the other are a group who I fear has no sense of humor at all.

John Dowd
jsdwd@ksc.th.com