My buddy Jim was getting his engineering continuing education credits at a land surveying course recently. The instructors talked about the challenges of running boundary surveys, where you’re often on other folks property.

He recalled the time they were deep in a wooded area, along a stream, when they heard an engine roar to start. They looked up the hill and saw a house, with a pickup truck coming down the mountain fast in their direction.

When the truck got to them, the window went down and a shotgun barrel came out. The mountain man guy said in an annoyed voice, “Who’s in charge here?”

The quick thinking survey chief replied, “You are, sir.”

And everybody smiled.

I think that’s one of the best responses I’ve ever heard. So if you need to defuse a challenging situation or just want to provide great customer service, remember that response.