In case you haven’t heard, Australia is going to have a Federal election this year. That means we will be subject to all manner of prognostications and promises from the political parties as they try to win our favour – and our vote.
In order to gain a short term advantage, i.e. the chance to control the political agenda and the Treasury for three years, they will come up with all sorts of schemes and policies.
But here’s the thing:
Most of these schemes and policies haven’t been thought through beyond the immediate electoral appeal.
We have had a perfect example of this in the very recent past, and it involves cane toads. It was completely divorced from reality, with seemingly no attempt to see beyond the first, superficial level of thinking. A complete absence of thinking things through.
We all know that cane toads are a curse on the Australian environment. They are highly toxic to other animals, both native and non-native, and have been responsible for several extinctions of our wonderful wildlife.
This politician’s solution was to pay a bounty of 10 cents for every cane toad captured and handed in. At first glance, you may think, “What a good idea. Kids can earn some pocket money, and it will help the environment.” Apparently the unemployed were to be co-opted into the collection as well.
BUT IF YOU STOP FOR A MOMENT AND THINK IT THROUGH …
As something of an entrepreneur, I immediately saw an opportunity. Rather than staying out at night chasing toads around the garden, I could set up my very own Cane Toad Farm. Given that the cane toad’s prolific reproduction rate is the cause of the problem in the first place, I’d be raking in the (Government) cash in no time.
https://smallville.com.au/setting-kpis-think-it-through-or-you-might-just-get-what-you-asked-for/