Surely you remember the tale of the emperor’s new clothes, a wonderful story filled with multiple quality training opportunities.

There was an emperor who was pompous and vain. One day, two scoundrels came to the palace, presenting themselves as tailors from a distant land. They said they had woven a new cloth so magnificent that it was fit only for a ruler of the emperor’s stature. They flattered him and told him that the cloth could only be seen by those who were fit for the jobs they held. If a person wasn’t suited to their position, they wouldn’t be able to see the fabric.

The Emperor hired the two men on the spot—without consulting any of his court advisers—and commissioned an entire wardrobe. The tailors asked for an advance, so that they might procure the material they needed to weave enough of the fabric to make the Emperor’s new clothes. The emperor gladly opened the royal coffers.

Over the next few weeks, the tailors were seen to be working on the new clothes. More accurately, they were seen waving their fingers in the air and rubbing their palms expansively over empty work benches. Although people saw nothing, they assumed the process of producing the wardrobe was going on.

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