Three Billy Goats Say “Enough is Enough”

Once upon a time there were three billy goats who were in the business of building bridges. Of course there were those “nay-sayers” who would say they could never build any bridges worth crossing. But, after building one magnificent bridge, Billy and his two brothers (Gilly and Willy) were asked by several other surrounding communities to build two more bridges. The community representatives wanted some idea of cost. Knowing their business Billy said, “First thing first, we must measure the site and see about the time and materials it will take.”

The representatives said,” You do not need to do that, the site is similar to the one on which you built your first magnificent bridge, how much did that cost?” Billy knew that estimating was not an easy process, “We estimated the cost of that bridge based on the distance across, by the height factor, and the type of materials to complete the job well.” “What sort of traffic is expected on these new bridges?” asked Billy’s brother Gilly. “Providing you an estimate is a very serious business, we need to figure out exactly how to build a safe bridge, one that will last a long time, and one that has enough brick and mortar to hold the weight distribution using it, our estimate of enough materials has to be enough to make it safe for everyone to use!” Then “naysayers’ said, “You will never be able to determine those things.”

Willy said, “We never will unless we do our research, and then he added, “until we know the distance, or span of the bridge, and the height at which the supports need to go, and the type of traffic and the regularity of that traffic, we will not be giving you any estimates. We need to see the site.” “Alright, alright,” said the  representatives, “we, have heard you out, enough is enough!” The three billy goats smiled at each other and said, “Yes, hopefully we use just enough materials and labor to make it safe enough for everyone for a very long time.” Then they built two more magnificent bridges and the goats success silenced the “naysayers” forever.

The Moral of the fable: Better to be safe, and know that there has been enough thoughtful analysis, to double-check the details, then to be sorry. Plus, it is always fun to silence the naysayers.

NOTE: Every business that provides a service to their customer’s needs to put safety first. This is why many businesses have standards, guidelines, and policies to protect the general public. Knowing what it will take to obtain good materials and the time dedicated to the details, only makes for a better product and happier customers.

One size, and type, does not always fit all!

Where there is a naysayer, there is also a champion player.