by Sam Brock

Our project had just been “adjusted” for the third time. Because our all-star grounds crew felt we had the perfect plan, Bill and I decided we needed to get started. We had begun to line out the project when our boss’s boss stopped by and changed our project to the original plan. Then our previous boss said that he needed to talk to our current boss to make sure our boss’s boss knew the whole story. All we wanted to do was start digging. Our problem was having too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

Using the Old West theme, our team decided we needed more chindians. A chindian is a person who is both a chief and an Indian. A chindian not only knows how to make decisions about the project but also is willing to pick up the shovel and help with the project. It is always nice to work for a chindian: he has not forgotten what it was like to be an Indian. At first, it may seem impossible to switch roles so quickly. But we do not treat our kids like our wife, and we had better not treat our wife like one of the kids. At home, we very quickly jump back and forth between roles.

A good Indian is expected to do a few things: listen, work, stick at it, follow through, and do his part. A good chief is expected to do different things: talk, meet, set priorities, lead, change stuff, and make sure everyone is doing his part. A good chindian combines these attributes and becomes the type of chief that every Indian wants. A good chindian is a talker who welcomes input and encourages his team to speak their mind; he spends time in his office doing only what he can do but on occasion is seen holding a paint brush or pushing a vacuum—he’s seen doing things that anyone could do. A good chindian knows that even Indians can make good chiefs. He looks for ways to give his Indians responsibility to the point that they are chief of their areas. Know your people. Know their differences; and don’t forget that everyone can be a good chindian and are best taught to be chindians through the example of a chindian . . . which could be you!