A couple of years back Nick Wray got an all-girl student team in here on 2 week’s placement (Anna and Elaine).

I never expect much out of placement teams, but these girls were good.

They worked so hard that inside the 2 weeks they had work actually running.

So we offered them another two weeks.

They worked so hard again, they got even more work running.

So we offered them another fortnight’s placement.

By this time they even had TV running.

So we offered them another two weeks.

The girls said no.

They said they needed a job.

So they were leaving to get a placement somewhere else.

And they’d keep trying different placements until they eventually got a job.

Gordon and I talked it over and realised we couldn’t let them go.

They were better than some of the teams we had working here.

But we didn’t have the room or the money to hire them.

So we fired one of the teams that was here and gave the girls their job.

English people think that’s cruel.

But Americans don’t.

They think it’s more cruel to keep someone in a job even though they can’t do it, while someone who can do it is walking the streets, unemployed.

I think the lesson is simple.

Don’t sit around waiting for something to happen.

Make it happen.

Don’t wait for an opportunity.

Create the opportunity where there isn’t one.

Too many people today, from students on up, act as if we’re working in the civil service and have to follow the rules.

They act as if we have to wait for permission.

How dull is that?