Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is just as hard to work for as the volcanic boss, and both can do great harm by setting an unhelpful example for what kind of emotional expression is expected and accepted.

Meaning: The saying assigns riding in front to the person who hires the horse. It connects the act of arranging or paying for something with precedence in using it.

Meaning: One person may do the work while someone else takes the reward. Notice who prepares an opportunity and who receives the benefit or credit.

Meaning: The saying demands that a person use an ability they possess. Its command to force the unwilling raises a question about responsibility and consent.

Meaning: Another worker can often find something to improve in work already considered finished. The second barber’s remaining task suggests that completion depends on standards and perspective, without proving that earlier work was careless or endless correction is necessary.