A new executive was hired by a public relations firm. His office was very impressive with an executive office chair behind a very imposing desk. The new executive tried to function using that desk chair but felt uncomfortable in telling his new employer, the owner of the firm, that his executive office chair made him uncomfortable. His problem was that as a desk chair, it was fine but he needed to be able to move back and forth from his desk to his computer without having to stand up to do that.

His solution came when he was asked what gift he would like for his new office from his secretaries. He asked them for a swivel chair. The girls were more than happy to buy a swivel chair for their boss, and he rewarded them by offering his executive desk chair to the girls to use while working at their desks. The solution seemed fine until the owner of the firm visited the new executive and saw what appeared to be a shabby swivel chair behind the executive’s desk. He commented on it, and was given an explanation.

The owner of the firm laughed heartily and told his new executive that he should feel free to ask for whatever office furniture he deemed necessary and volunteered to replace the executive office chair with a find swivel chair which made the new executive quite happy.