Upper management problem solving. -- Image by Philippe Jacquet from Pixabay
A Modern Retelling of "The Good Shepherd"
At Apex Dynamics, loyalty was measured in two things: billable hours and how loudly you clapped during quarterly "town hall type meetings." Executives came and went like migrating geese, collecting bonuses before flying off to the next perch. Most managers just followed orders, kept their heads down, and hoped the wolves upstairs wouldn't notice them.
Except for one: Steve Ramirez, mid-level operations manager.
Steve was in his late forties, with a thinning hairline, a permanent coffee stain on his shirt, and a tendency to call everyone "kiddo" no matter their age. He wasn't flashy. He didn't have an MBA. What he did have was an annoying habit of actually caring.
When corporate slashed the training budget, it was Steve who stayed late to mentor new hires. When payroll "forgot" to process overtime, he marched into the payroll manager's office in HR and stayed until it got fixed. When layoffs hit, he used part of his bonus, which he had just received for completion ahead of time on a project, to quietly cover a recently laid-off single mom's rent. His team didn't understand why Steve did what he did, but they loved him for it.
And then there is upper management. Every time they met, Steve's name would come up. "What did he do this time?" was often asked. While they absolutely loved his work, like his teammates, they did not understand why he did it, but they hated him for his good deeds. Literally made them look bad. The thought of all upper management, all the way to the CEO, was, "Always putting people before the bottom line. That's not scalable."
Then, very early in the morning, came the crisis, and it was a big one.
A major software rollout — the kind that could tank stock prices if it failed — went sideways. File access denied, servers crashed, clients extremely mad, phones were ringing like bells at Christmas, and the execs who had championed the project? They vanished with the CEO, grabbing the first available flight to Aruba for a "fix-it strategy session offsite.
As the day drew on, the anxiety was building. Product support people were in a state of panic; many left, not wanting to deal with it anymore, but Steve stayed, calm and determined.
He gathered up all the remaining software engineers that hadn't run out, yelling, "The sky is falling!" and simply told them, "Let's fix this, now!" On his nickel, he ordered Red Bull, strong coffee, pizzas, fried chicken, and a veggie burger for the vegetarian.
His crew went to work, giving him updates as they came in. The A/C was humming along on this humid evening, when one of the team members stood up and, with a sarcastic voice, "Did anyone simply try turning everything off then back on?" Everyone laughed, much-needed humor. Another team member shouted back, "NO! Isn't that your job?"
Even with the little quips of humor, the team was feeling the pressure. Steve reassured them late that evening, "We'll get through this, Kiddos".
The appointed executive in Aruba checks in every 15 minutes, with another useless idea, ends the call with, "Keep me posted."
PM rolled into AM, the Red Bull pyramid of empty cans was growing tall, and the team was still tired. He again stated, "I feel we are close, you got this, kiddos!".
Around 3 am, one of his team members yelled, "I found it!!"
As the morning sun made its appearance, Steve contacted the team in Aruba with the good news. The Aruba team of executives was high-fiving each other, and the CEO strutted around the conference room like a conquering hero. They toasted with umbrella drinks at 8 a.m. and sent out emails and text messages for everyone to get into the office.
The CEO, comfortably sitting at his laptop, on the Zoom call, smiling, told everyone, Thanks to our great leadership here in Aruba," she announced, "we overcame this challenge."
Only those who stayed all day and through the night knew the real truth. They became angry. We did all the work; they did nothing! Steve looked at his team and gestured to stand down.
Apex Dynamics slowly recovered from the disaster. No bonuses to the general team members that year, just upper management for their hard work.
Somewhere, on the other side of town, a small startup software company was humming along. Out of his simple office, Steve stopped to talk to his team, "Who's ready for Red Bull and pizza?" he laughed.
Much to the relief of all, there was no File Access Denied error; the caterers started putting the food out in the break room. "Job well done, all.", said Steve.
In his office, hanging on the wall, was a framed piece of polished wood with the words burned into it, "Access Granted".
Based on John 10:11-18
Synopsis:
Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd — the one who lays down his life for the sheep, unlike hired hands who abandon them when danger comes. This modern retelling shows how real leadership isn't about perks or applause; it's about showing up when it matters, staying when others run, and caring more about people than profits.
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
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