Three Umpires

I recently participated in a retreat at work. At this retreat, an attorney gave a presentation on the company's standard of ethics. One of four elements of ethical behavior at the company is "Honesty," and the following phrase was included in the description of what we mean when we say "honesty" at my company: ...we always 'tell it like it is'...

At a dinner that evening, I explained to the attorney that I find this statement quite troubling, which he had difficulty understanding. So, I told him the story of the three umpires, which goes like this.

Three umpires are having a disagreement over how to call balls and strikes. The first umpire says, "Some pitches are balls and some are strikes, and I call 'em what they are." The second umpire says, "Some pitches are balls and some are strikes, and I call 'em like I see 'em." The third umpires pauses a moment, looks at both his colleagues and then says with a smile, "They ain't nothin' 'til I call 'em!"

I asked the attorney which umpire was like our company. He didn't answer the question, but it was clear to everyone at the table that we see the world like the first umpire. It was also obvious to all of us that the third umpire did the best job of "telling it like it is."

The wisest people and most successful organizations understand that they have the potential to shape reality with their words.