Stone soup story

A short story that gives an example on how to Influencing without authority:

Two soldiers have just reached a village and were hungry. Unfortunately, no one gave them any foods. They've decided to setup a pot and start cooking a stone.

One Curious villager noticed it, came out and asked what's cooking. The soldiers told the villager that they are cooking a soup, then said, it'll be more delicious if we have more carrots. The villager went home, took some carrots and put that in the pot, then sat down and wait.

Another villager noticed this... And the story repeats.

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References

The Pragmatic Programmer (p. 9)

It's time to bring out the stones,. Work out what you can reasonably ask for. Develop it well. Once you've got it, show people, and let them marvel.

Stone Soup - Wikipedia (opens new window)

Stone Soup is a European folk story (opens new window) in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral (opens new window) regarding the value of sharing.