I had an e-mail exchange with a friend that taught me a lot. I had mentioned an interesting after-hours conversation one evening in the Leadership Center's lounge with a fellow program participant who was from the Audit area of the business. To my surprise, in spite of being an auditor (only one step above an actuary in my book) he had turned out to be an interesting fellow.

To my surprise, I received the following narrative from my friend. I had had no idea that I was leading such an interesting life.

His Dubonnet lay neglected by his right hand as he held her gaze with his confidences concerning cost control and departmental accountability. Her eyes glowed as she remembered the presentations on advanced fighter systems and remote guided munitions they had just shared earlier in that exciting evening. With a thrill she noticed the gleaming Palm Pilot in its shoulder holster peeping from under the jacket of his Armani suit as he leaned forward to explain how he had, against impossible odds, single-handedly saved twelve million dollars by directing the outsourcing of plant decontamination. 'The latest model,' she thought, and her breath caught in involuntary anticipation . . .

The moral of the story: Never let any actual facts get in the way of a good flight of the imagination.

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