Little Johnny very much wanted a bicycle, and his parents agreed to give him one, but only after he earned it by doing chores around the house for several months. Johnny was very eager to get started, and he held up his end of the bargain through no small amount of effort.
When the agreed-upon time period was complete, Johnny came home from school one day to find the shiniest new bicycle he had ever seen waiting for him in his driveway. He jumped for joy, and asked his parents if he could ride his new bike to Billy’s house. He was so excited!
His dad, however, pulled him aside and told him that he had done well in his work, but that he must schedule time in advance to ride the bicycle. Spontaneous use of this privilege was not part of the family plan. In fact, his dad was proud to announce, there was time available on a Wednesday, 1 year ahead!
Johnny was crushed. He didn’t understand why, even though he had fulfilled his end of the bargain, earning the bicycle fair and square, he couldn’t use the bicycle when HE wanted to, which was SOON. However, being well-mannered, he didn’t complain. He did have the presence of mind to ask, though, if there were any exceptions. He was told by his dad they would let him know if some time before the Wednesday of next year became available, but, absent that, he would have to wait. After all, not every family member could use their earned privileges at the same time. Johnny reluctantly agreed, but went to his room and cried and cried, feeling very defeated.
Some years later, long after the difficult bicycle memory faded, Johnny was hired by a large corporation. On his first day of work, a very proud Johnny (John, now) showed up at the company’s Human Resources office. The Human Resources representative he met with with welcomed him warmly, and said “Sit down, John, let me tell you about our PTO plan...”