Shortchanged

I once heard a story about a successful architect. He worked in a large company and spent most of his productive years designing and building houses and structures. He was the pride of the company, but he wanted to retire early and expressed that intention to the owner.

The owner granted his wishes but made one last request, “I want you to build a house. You are free to make your own design, according to what you want. You can choose the best materials, whatever the cost.”

The architect accepted. Considering this was his last project, he thought of building a house out of substandard quality materials and padding the expenses. The owner wouldn’t know anyway, he thought.

When the project was finished, the owner looked at his work then handed him an envelope. It was a Transfer Certificate of Title. He said, “I’m giving you the house which you have just built in appreciation for your dedication to your work and the company.”

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