It is the important duty of the junior officer to see to it that the details of the business belonging to his department are promptly and properly attended to. If he really has executive ability, he will never make the plea that he could not clear his desk be cause of the great rush of details that had -to be at tended to. Long before he is in danger of being swamped be will have at his command. a subordinate to whom he will entrust the handling of many mat ters of minor consequence. He will seek, indeed, to relieve himself as much as possible of details in order that lie may have more time for supervision, plan ning and direction. He must himself have great ca pacity for detail and he should prove it by the ease with which he gets rid of details. His chief will ex pect him to know all about his department, the num ber of employes, their wages or salaries, the kind of work done by each, their ability and their promise of future development. In no other way can the chief keep in touch with what is going on in the great busi ness he controls.
10. His a junior officer who has proved his worth in an organization receives an offer of a higher salary from another concern. Shall he accept and leave the organization with whose affairs lie is so familiar? This is a question that puzzles many a junior officer. In no case can we answer the question wisely unless we know and consider all the circumstances.
It may safely be said, however, that no junior of ficer should resign his position merely because of a tempting increase in. salary. There are many things
he does not know, to wit: Will he fit in with the new organization? Will he be as efficient there as here? Will his ways of doing things satisfy the new chief? Will his prospects of future advancement be as good as now? Is the other business likely to grow or to stand still? Is it controlled by men comparatively young and full of ambition, or by old men already satisfied with the business? Questions of this sort the junior officer must consider before he is in a posi tion to decide upon making a change.
In general it is well for him to bear in mind, es pecially if he is connected with a prosperous, grow ing business, that the world looks with some suspicion upon a man who is moving from pillar to post. When he resigns a good position and goes to another, most people will know merely that he has made a change, and many will suspect that his old employers made it easy for him to leave.
If, however, a junior officer is connected with a busi ness controlled by men who lack ambition and initia tive, or who have so much money that they give all their time to sports, amusements and travel, and he is convinced in consequence that the business will suffer from their neglect, he is wise if he looks for new con nections. It is unfortunate, of course, that he has to make a change, but he has the very best of reasons for doing so. A live man should not be tied to a business that is dying from dry rot.