A group of managers were given the assignment to measure the height of a
flagpole. So they get their ladders and tape measures and go out to the
flagpole. Attempting to measure this flagpole was turning out to be a much
more difficult task than any of them had imagined; what with them falling
off the ladders, dropping the tape measures and so on, the whole thing had
just turned into a total mess.

After a while, an engineer happens along and sees what they are attempting
to do. He walks over, pulls the flagpole out of the ground, and lays it
flat on the ground. He measures it from end to end, gives the measurement
to one of the managers and walks away without saying a word.
After the engineer has gone, one manager turns to another and laughs as
he's shaking his head.  "Now that's just like an engineer!  We're looking
for the height and he gives us the length!"