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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\nOnce upon a time, I processed purchase orders for a large university. A few days later, I noticed that the funds had been encumbered in I could not change the purchase order, nor could I change funds He said “Call Mr. So-and-so at the such-and-such office and ask to I could fully see this dragon before me. I could see the razor Why did I take this problem so seriously? It was a monetary error greater than my annual salary<\/b>. On shaky legs, I walked into Mr. So-and-so’s office. I still He said, “What account number is the money in?” I gave it to him. “There you go, all set. Anything else I can do for you today?” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n “No, uh…that’s it.”<\/span><\/p>\n Numbly, I walked out. Alive. With my job. Dragon slayed. What just happened?<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, I have had the chance to think a great deal about this story. I know now that:<\/span><\/p>\n Lesson learned?<\/span><\/p>\n When you are facing your big, fire-breathing dragon, it is often not your job<\/b> to slay that dragon. Your job is to find the Dragon Slayer.<\/u> <\/b> That person slays that<\/i> particular dragon<\/span><\/p>\n all<\/span><\/p>\n day<\/span><\/p>\n long.<\/span><\/p>\n And they get paid for it. And they think it’s no big deal.<\/span><\/p>\n I’ve met other dragon slayers over time. As a remote worker, I find Dragon slayer, thy name is…whoever you are on the other side of that table. You just saved my (work) life.<\/span><\/p>\n See the secret here is to realize that you are not alone.<\/i> Over time, I’ve become a Dragon Slayer myself. I can take care of Best of all, however, is that I share this Dragon-Slayer-Finding When seeking Dragon Slayers while working remotely, I love to pick After our conversation, I thank them and hang up the phone, and whisper “Dragon Slayer.”<\/span><\/p>\n #management #dragonslayer #leadershipphilosophy #reignoffire Executive summary:<\/span><\/p>\n This post was updated on April 3, 2026 to improve the font and remove missing images. <\/span><\/p>\n
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\n We often made large dollar value purchases near the end of the fiscal
\nyear to spend all of our budgeted funds. One year, we purchased a
\nsoftware license early and I followed a template of a prior year’s
\npurchase on the order form. There was a “Notes” field that was usually
\nleft empty. In that field, I typed the next year “Fiscal Year 20XX” and
\nthought nothing more about it.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nthe wrong account. Our purchasing department had read the field and
\ninterpreted that I had meant this order for a different account.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n This was a dastardly problem.
\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nencumbered in the accounts. With the fiscal years changing, the accounts
\n were locked for transactions. The power to correct the order was not at
\n my level. As far as I knew, I had made a huge mistake. I went to my
\nboss to explain the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nhave a 1:1 appointment with him and then explain the problem to him just
\n like you did for me.” Now this was the equivalent of saying ‘Go before a stranger, stab yourself, and bleed out until death takes your soul<\/i>.’<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n Said another way, I was facing a dragon.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nsharp teeth, I could see the growing fire glow in the belly, and I could
\n contemplate the acid brewing in the stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n I had committed a violation of one of my most closely held employment rules: Make yourself so valuable to an employer that it is cheaper to
\nkeep you than to fire you. Firing me at that point would be cheaper.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nremember it. Big office. Polished wooden desk that glinted in the light.
\n I explained my problem.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nTap tap tap on the keyboard. “What account number do you need the money
\nin?” I gave it to him. Tap tap tap on the keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n Repeat this to yourself:
\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n Find the Dragon Slayer
\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n them most often when I’m eating fettuccine alfredo at some in-person
\nwork event, and I’m complaining about the biggest work problem in my
\nlife. A stranger from across the table will say, “Oh, I fix that all the
\n time. You just do this, this, and then this.” Picture me dropping my
\nfork, mouth wide open.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThis is a connected leadership philosophy. I’ll write more about this in
\n the future, but here is a hint: Every time Jean-Luc Picard faced a
\ndifficult situation on the Enterprise, he’d turn off the view screen,
\nand turn to his team and say one word, “Options?” It’s a brilliant
\nleadership maneuver.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nsome problems that cause others to fear. It’s pretty cool. I know
\nexactly how to do it. You just do this, this, and then this.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nPower with others when they come up against their intractable problems. I
\n share that polished wooden desk story to give them hope that finding a
\ndragon slayer starts with asking for help. It’s not so hard to ask for
\nhelp. The other steps come easily.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nup the phone and say to a colleague, “I know you faced this one. What
\ndid you do?”<\/span><\/p>\n
\n#leader #manager #manage #workfromhome #remotework #remotemanagement
\n#onlinemanager #onlinemanagement #wfh #fear #asktheonlinemanager
\n#weareallconnected #intractable #problem #facingproblems
\n#startrekmanagement #askforhelp<\/span><\/p>\n\n