Once Upon a Business – Episode 98
The Farmer and The Well
Lisa Bloom: A farmer needed a water source for his farm, so he bought a well from his neighbor. However, the neighbour was cunning. The next day, as the farmer came to draw water from his well, the neighbor refused to let him take any.
Hi, I’m Lisa Bloom, the story coach and you’re listening to Once Upon a Business. In each episode, we explore a story, a fairy tale, folk tale or traditional story so that we can discover the amazing lessons relevant for business and for entrepreneurs.
When the farmer asked why he couldn’t draw water, the neighbor replied, I sold you the well, not the water, and walked away. Distraught, the farmer went to the emperor to ask for justice.
He explained what had happened. The emperor called on Birbal, the wisest of his nine courtiers. Birbal proceeded to question the neighbor. Why don’t you let the farmer take water from the well? You sold the well to the farmer, did you not? The neighbor replied, Birbal, I did sell the well to the farmer, but not the water within it. He has no right to draw water from the well. Birbal said, look, since you sold the well, you have no right to keep the water in the farmer’s well. Either you pay rent to the farmer or take it out. Immediately realizing that his scheme had failed, the neighbor apologized and went home.
How can you hear this story without being wooed by the sweet justice that takes place? I love that the person doing the trickery is caught in the same way that he tries to cheat the other. Though I must say the start of the story really disappoints me. I always assume that neighbors will be friends, so I hate to hear of a neighbor that’s out to cheat the other. Having said that, I have had my fair share of unpleasant neighbors in my time, especially when I was a student. I remember we were three girls living in a small apartment and the neighbors were a couple whose kitchen wall was adjoined to our apartment. When they started fighting, I would have to leave the kitchen. It was so uncomfortable. They would scream and yell at each other and I hated that. I didn’t come from a family where people yelled. It was so foreign to me. They weren’t out to cheat us per se, but it was still very uncomfortable.
Here in this story, the neighbor is out to cheat the other and I hate that. But that’s what’s so satisfying when Birbal stepped in to solve the argument and did so by using the same logic that was used to create the disagreement. There’s a clear message for business that it’s important to behave clearly and honestly in business deals because misunderstandings, or in this case deliberate deceit, can lead to disputes and loss of trust. It’s a reminder for businesses to make sure that all terms are clear and agreed upon. Just recently one of my clients was burned badly because she didn’t establish a clear agreement with her client. When her client decided that he would change their verbal agreement and not pay her, she had nothing to fall back on.
It’s so important to spend the extra time getting agreements sorted out, even if it’s more time upfront that needs to be invested. And especially when you think you have it all sorted because the person is really nice and you’ve talked it through. That’s often a recipe for disaster. Not because you’re a bad judge of character, but because business is business and you need to have things written down clearly and succinctly just in case. I like the cleverness of the story and the outcome where the neighbor doesn’t just realize that his scheme has been revealed and he can’t continue to cheat. But he also apologized. So perhaps there’s hope that the neighbor, on getting caught, will change his ways and be more honest and forthright in the future.
I often wonder if a cheater is always a cheater, something I’ve definitely heard said again and again. The man who cheats on his wife will cheat again. The businesswoman who entertains less than ethical practices in one side of her business will also have no qualms about cheating on her taxes. Is that true? Or perhaps we all like to cheat just a little bit, or at least as much as we think we can get away with. Are you horrified? I’ve just suggested you’re a cheater. I’m thinking about how often we go just above the speed limit. Or maybe don’t correct the change given when it’s to our advantage. Or refrain from telling someone something that’s unpleasant but true. Or exaggerate our successes for marketing copy because it sounds better. Or tell our kids we’ll do something with them later but never get to later.
Does this resonate with you? I can certainly relate, so perhaps we should take this story lightly. Or maybe not. It’s a reminder that we can always do the right thing. We don’t have to cheat or cajole or trick anyone into doing or being what we want. There’s a high ground, and maybe that’s the path we should always try to take.
I’m Lisa Bloom and you’ve been listening to Once Upon a Business. You can find out more about me at story-coach.com. That’s story-coach.com. Once Upon a Business is part of the Mirasee FM Podcast Network, which also includes such shows as Teacher Tom’s Podcast and To Lead Is Human. To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Once Upon a Business, please like and follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. Thank you. We’ll see you next time.