A modern workplace story inspired by "the good shepherd" in John 10.
Today was the day.
Nearly a year of work had gone into the project, and the upper executives already had their celebration flight to Aruba booked. They were convinced sales would more than double. In their minds, the bonuses were practically spent.
Continue reading ↓
Helping a new employee. -- Image by ChatGPT.
The CEO ran Apex Dynamics with an iron fist. Everything passed through him. Mid-level managers and everyone below them followed directions, kept their heads down, and got the work done exactly as ordered.
Except for one.
Steve Ramirez, mid-level Development Manager, had a habit of questioning an order when something about it didn't seem right.
He 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 failed to process overtime, he marched into the payroll manager's office in HR and stayed until it got fixed.
After a tough project was completed, things slowed down and layoffs followed.
Steve had received an extra bonus for finishing that project ahead of schedule. He used part of that bonus to help a single mom.
She had rent to pay and kids to feed. Steve covered her rent for the month.
His team didn't understand why he did what he did, but they loved him for it.
Every time upper management met, Steve's name came up.
Someone would inevitably ask, "What did he do this time?"
They loved his work and liked how well his team worked together. What they did not understand was why he spent so much time helping his teammates, teaching them, and genuinely caring about what happened to them.
They despised him for those good deeds. In their minds, he made them look bad.
From upper management all the way to the CEO, the prevailing thought was, "Putting people before the bottom line. That's not scalable."
But the job got done.
Then, at 1 a.m., came the crisis—and it was a big one.
Steve got the call to come into the office immediately.
The project had suffered a catastrophic error.
Nobody could access most of the application. All they saw was one message:
"File access denied."
Clients around the world were furious. Support phones were already ringing like bells at Christmas, but most of the support staff had not arrived yet.
Steve surveyed the situation. This was the kind of problem that required direction from above, especially about what to tell everyone.
His boss was nowhere to be found.
Frustrated, Steve gathered the software engineers who were already there and put them on the phones.
"Good news or bad, tell them one thing: We are aware of the problem, and we are feverishly working on it."
Meanwhile, the CEO and several upper executives were arriving in Aruba, still unaware of what had happened.
Then the CEO's phone rang.
His smile disappeared.
He looked at the others.
"We have a serious problem back home. There's a bug in the new program, and it has stopped almost everything from working. Start calling everyone. We need people on this now."
Flying everyone back would only burn hours they did not have, so the executives set up shop in Aruba and worked the crisis remotely.
Throughout the early morning hours, people started showing up.
The Product Support Manager arrived just as daylight was breaking. Steve updated him on what was happening and how they had handled it so far.
Product Support was getting hammered.
As the day wore on, the anxiety kept building. Support technicians were stressed. A few simply threw up their hands and walked out. Some of the software engineers followed them.
The pressure was getting to everyone.
Through all of it, Steve stayed calm and determined.
He gathered the remaining software engineers and told them, "We can do this! Let's get this fixed now!"
Then he asked everyone what they wanted to eat and drink.
Steve got on the phone and started making calls. 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 hummed along as the hot, humid afternoon dragged into evening.
Then one of the team members stood up and said sarcastically, "Did anyone simply try turning everything off and then back on?"
Everyone laughed. It was a much-needed moment of 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's eyes were getting tired from reading code, but late that evening he took a moment to reassure them.
"We'll get through this, kiddos."
Right on time, the appointed executive in Aruba checked in. He had another useless idea—one Steve's team had already tried hours earlier.
Not wanting to stir the pot, Steve simply told him they would test it too.
The call ended with the usual statement:
"Keep me posted."
Midnight slipped past and quickly gave way to the early morning hours. The pyramid of empty Red Bull cans was getting taller, and the team was exhausted.
Steve could feel the pressure building, so he made a decision.
"We need a break. Let's walk across the street to our favorite diner, eat something, and relax for a bit."
He didn't have to ask twice.
They nearly ran out the door, passing the empty Product Support area on the way. The incoming calls were now being routed to a recorded message.
Steve, grateful for their sacrifice, picked up the tab. The group returned to the office reenergized and determined to finish the job.
Around 3 a.m., one of the team members suddenly yelled, "I found it!"
They spent the next two hours testing the fix.
Finally, Steve shouted, "We have it! Great—and I do mean great—job, everyone. Go home and get some rest."
As the morning sun began to appear, Steve contacted the team in Aruba with the good news.
The executives started high-fiving each other, and the CEO strutted around the conference room like a conquering hero. By noon in Aruba, they were toasting with umbrella drinks and sending emails and text messages telling everyone to get into the office.
The CEO decided they needed some rest after all the hard work his executives had done. He sent out a company-wide email announcing a mandatory meeting for the next day.
Later that evening, he treated his entourage to a lobster dinner.
By the next morning, everyone was back at work.
Then another email arrived:
"Zoom meeting in 90 minutes."
Rumors were already flying around the office about what Steve and his crew had done. People Steve barely knew were stopping by to thank them. High-fives were everywhere.
The Zoom call began.
The CEO congratulated everyone for their hard work, but he did not single anyone out. It was simply a general thank-you.
About ten minutes later, he wrapped up the call.
"We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Thanks to our great leadership here in Aruba and all the hard work they put into finding solutions, we overcame this challenge."
Silence settled over the building.
Little by little, people returned to their desks. Some quietly began wondering whether Steve and his team had really done what everyone had been saying—or whether the rumors had been exaggerated.
Steve's crew was visibly angry.
"We did all the work. They did nothing!"
Steve gathered them together.
"Keep your heads down and keep working. This is not the time to rock the boat."
As time went on, Apex Dynamics slowly recovered from the disaster.
There were no bonuses for the general team members that year.
Then Apex Dynamics suffered one more loss.
Steve resigned.
Several members of his team left soon after.
Across town, in a small business center, a startup software company was humming along. The CEO and founder stepped out of his office and looked sternly at the team.
"Who's ready for Red Bull and pizza?"
Everyone froze.
He couldn't hold it any longer.
Steve laughed out loud.
Much to their relief, this was not another "File Access Denied" emergency.
It was a catered lunch.
Steve tried to get everyone's attention by tapping lightly on a glass.
He tapped a little too hard.
The glass cracked.
Well, he had their attention now.
"Oops. Too many energy drinks this morning."
A light laugh drifted through the room.
"What I really wanted to say was: job well done, everyone. And I wanted to officially welcome the newest members of the team."
Steve broke into a broad grin.
"It's about time you left them. Welcome home!"
After lunch, Steve returned to his office.
On the wall across from his desk hung a framed picture of a large, overweight tabby cat pointing toward a polished wooden plaque.
Burned into the wood were the words:
"Access Granted."
Inspired by John 10:11-18
Synopsis:
File Access Denied asks whether leadership is defined by position or by presence. The good shepherd account turns on the difference between those who claim authority and the one who remains when the vulnerable are threatened. Inside Apex Dynamics, Steve's ordinary desk becomes the place people trust because he consistently chooses their well-being over corporate convenience.
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
Share this story:
Connect With Us
Enjoying these stories?
Please help us keep the lights on, fuel our mission and more...
Why Support UsStay Up To Date
Join the tribe and don't let our stories wander off looking for someone else to read them.
Subscribe