Who had this idea anyway?

I'm always interested in how groups make decisions, primarily because of my conviction that the more people involved in a decision or a process, the more opportunity there is to really goof it up.

Yesterday, I went into the restroom at the Baltimore airport. It was your average airport restroom. Tile everywhere, music playing and a lot of men trying to juggle their carry-ons. Then I saw something that was obviously a group decision.

On a shelf above the urinal, there sat a nice vase with fresh flowers. Yes, fresh flowers. In the men's room of the airport. It wasn't quite a breath of fresh air, but it certainly did add a touch of elegance to the place....then I saw the sticker on the wall below the flowers.

Just under the shelf was a 3x5 sticker, black with white letters, that said "AIRPORT PROPERTY - DO NOT TAKE."

I did a double take. Exactly what committee was so acutely aware of aesthetics that they decided to put flowers in the john, yet so distrusting of the human psyche that they needed to apply a sticker that said, in essence..."enjoy the flowers, you thief! We want you to have a pleasant experience, but just between you, me and the urinal, we figure you're going to rip us off."

Sometimes, the solution is worse than the problem was to begin with.