Ways to distinguish yourself – #58 Understand the law of the bucket and the glass
By Rajesh Setty on Tue 08 Nov 2005, 4:16 PM – 5 Comments
Okay – there is no
such law. I made this up based on an advice by one of my mentors.
Imagine an empty glass where you can pour water or any liquid. It’s
ready and willing to get filled.
Imagine a bucket filled with water. Now, start pouring the water from the
bucket into the glass. After a while the glass will be full. You can
continue to pour more water but unfortunately the glass can only hold a
limited amount of water (way less than what a bucket can hold)
You can devise a strategy to pour water slowly or you can employ
“positive thinking” and be optimistic about the possibility of putting
in more water. Won’t work. Sorry!
Summary: Next time, when you are talking to someone, please see whether the
other person has a glass or a bucket and then pour your information
appropriately. It will save both of you a lot of time and energy!
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Posted in the Distinguish yourself, Main Page category.
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5 Comments so far, Add Yours
Anonymous on November 10th, 2005
Excellent illustration and a good reminder to all of us. I would also think about the person who has the shot glass (super short attention span) and the person with the hole in the bottom of their bucket (who could suck out all of your time and energy, and you’d never know it), and plan your conversation accordingly.
Anonymous on November 10th, 2005
Thanks Ravi and Phil for the additions. Made me smile 
Cheers,
Raj
Yen Chan on September 30th, 2008
Hi Rajesh,
Love your illustration! What a lesson in life – often learnt the hard way!
Thanks!
Rajesh Setty on September 30th, 2008
Thank you Yen for your kind comments.
Have a great week ahead!
Best,
Raj
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Anonymous on November 9th, 2005
The other person may not even have a glass (or cup), not even worth wasting your time – I realized this the hard way. Thanks for your excellent illustration.