Stewardship, 2nd Edition

The Squeeze

Four weeks pass. No letter. No word from Arthur. The electrician, contractor, phone company, and cable company all agree that this is typical. Hassling does not help. I call Arthur; I get a recording. I say my message is urgent; he calls me back that afternoon. “Arthur, where is my customer contribution letter? Has the foreman been to the site? When can we schedule the work?” Arthur says he has been busy locating lines. The letter takes about ten minutes to write, but he has been busy locating lines. I ask what I can do to make this a priority. Arthur suggests that I call his boss, Mr. Phillips. He is the one having Arthur locate all those lines. Arthur says he will try to get to my job soon.

I call again in four days. When Arthur ...