When I started my current job, I was assigned to a cubicle with a five-foot-high partition. Promoted in three months, I asked for a private office in line with my new title. My boss reluctantly told me that there were three possibilities. The first was a room that housed file cabinets and printers. Another was an office that was empty except when one of the company's founders visited. The third was a conference room.
After we had discussed each of the alternatives, he told me to make a choice. Deciding to play it safe, I replied, "I want the one that will make the least amount of trouble and affect the fewest people." A smile shot across his face, and he leaned backward in his chair. "That's the office you have now," he said.