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A timely short story:
Joey was a good kid. He wasn’t overly athletic or particularly bright but he smiled a lot and told good stories. After college, Joey managed to get a job at the Company, working in Middle Management, which was a pretty sweet deal.
A timely short story:
Joey was a good kid. He wasn’t overly athletic or particularly bright but he smiled a lot and told good stories. After college, Joey managed to get a job at the Company, working in Middle Management, which was a pretty sweet deal.
2) Middle Management was a good gig, you were assigned to one team or another and, by and large, there really weren’t a lot of expectations. However, after several years Joey thought “Hey, I’ve been at the Company long enough, maybe it’s time I try to land the job of Boss.”
3) So Joey tried, but the Shareholders came back and told Joey he didn’t really have enough experience or accomplishments so they went with someone else. Joey was disappointed but still had his Middle Management job.
4) The years went by and once again, the Boss job was open. Joey thought “Hmmm, I still haven’t really accomplished anything but nobody in Middle Management does, I’m going to try out for Boss again.” The result from the Shareholders was the same.
5) Sorry Joey, you’re ok at Middle Management but not being particularly smart, having few accomplishments, smiling a lot and telling good stories just isn’t enough to be the Boss.
Several years go by and Joey is getting close to retirement.
Several years go by and Joey is getting close to retirement.
6) He’s been in Middle Management for a long time, has friends on both teams and knows people in all of the departments. Joey has been at the Company long enough to know how things work. Joey gets approached by Barry, one of the newest members of his team in Middle Management.
7) Barry is young, intelligent, charming and ambitious. Barry wants to be the Boss but he needs Joey to help him. Joey lends experience, tenure and credibility to Barry and Barry has promised the Company that he can sell to a market segment that the Company has long forgotten.
8) The two join forces and Joey finally makes it to the Top Floor.
Joey’s view from the Top Floor let’s him see a lot of opportunities that he never noticed in Middle Management. Remember, Joey isn’t overly bright but he’s been around long enough to know how the game is played.
Joey’s view from the Top Floor let’s him see a lot of opportunities that he never noticed in Middle Management. Remember, Joey isn’t overly bright but he’s been around long enough to know how the game is played.
9) He’s made contacts he never had before and knows he’s never going back to Middle Management. Sure he’ll get a standard pension from the Company but he has a lot of valuable info about the company and now he’s in a position where he’s talking to competitors of the Company and
10) they’re willing to make Joey rich. He thinks to himself “The Company never made me the Boss, the shareholders never thought me qualified to be the Boss so guess who’s having the last laugh.”
Barry’s time as Boss comes to an end and Joey is officially retired and making
Barry’s time as Boss comes to an end and Joey is officially retired and making
11) the most of it. He laughs to himself, knowing that the kid that wasn’t athletic or overly bright, who never really accomplished anything at all still played the game better than anyone. However, he starts getting calls. The Company has a new Boss and a lot of people in
12) Middle Management, from BOTH TEAMS, hate the new Boss. He was from another company, another region and he didn’t play by Company rules. He was arrogant, outspoken and broke the cardinal rule, he called out Middle Management for being lazy, ineffective and unconcerned for
13) the Shareholders. Something had to be done Joey, they said. We need you back! This is a tough call, Joey thought. I’m retired, I’m living the dream. I already beat the system. But I’m older, I’m tired, and though I was never overly bright, I’m not as sharp now as I
14) used to be. Don’t worry Joey, was the response from Middle Management. We’ve got you covered with people from both teams. We’ve also got Marketing on board so they’ll make you sound great to Shareholders. You’ve got old friends in HR, Accounting and Security that’ll lock
15) anything down that would hurt you.
Deep down, Joey knew better but they appealed to his ego and dangled the one carrot in front of Joey that he never got; you’ll be the Boss. The Shareholders now found themselves with a decision on who to make Boss. Do they continue with
Deep down, Joey knew better but they appealed to his ego and dangled the one carrot in front of Joey that he never got; you’ll be the Boss. The Shareholders now found themselves with a decision on who to make Boss. Do they continue with
16) the arrogant, outspoken non-Company man that followed through on a lot of what he promised to deliver but annoyed almost everyone at the Company along the way? Or do they finally promote the guy that was always a good Company man but never accomplished anything, wasn’t
17) overly bright, cashed in on selling out the Company and seemed to have lost a step?
The great thing about writing a short story is I get to pick a happy ending ... but will you? Go vote!
The great thing about writing a short story is I get to pick a happy ending ... but will you? Go vote!
