Leadership story: Why did the lion fire the hardest working employee

Once upon a time, in a bustling jungle, there was a small ant who took great pride in her work. Every day, she arrived early, wasted no time, and worked diligently. She found joy in being productive and never needed anyone to tell her what to do. Her efficiency and dedication did not go unnoticed. The boss of the jungle, a mighty lion, observed the ant’s work. He was impressed but also puzzled. He thought to himself, “If this tiny ant can accomplish so much on her own, imagine how much more she could achieve with a supervisor!” Determined to boost productivity, the lion decided to hire a cockroach as the ant’s supervisor. The cockroach had an impressive background in management and was known for writing excellent reports. Excited to prove his worth, the cockroach’s first decision was to implement an attendance system so he could track the ant’s working hours more precisely. However, the cockroach soon realized that writing reports and analyzing attendance records was a lot of work. He decided he needed help, so he hired a spider to serve as his secretary. The spider was skilled in managing archives and made sure to monitor all phone calls as well. Pleased with the cockroach’s work, the lion wanted more detailed reports to present at board meetings. He requested graphs, trend analyses, and performance reviews. The cockroach, eager to please, quickly purchased a new computer and a laser printer to generate visually appealing reports. But he needed someone to manage all the technology, so he recruited a fly to be in charge of the IT department.

Meanwhile, the ant, who had once been happy and productive, now found herself buried under piles of paperwork and endless meetings. Instead of doing what she loved which is working she was forced to spend most of her time filling out forms, justifying her work, and answering questions from her new supervisors. The more the department grew, the less she was able to focus on her actual job. Seeing the increasing complexity of the department, the lion decided it was time to appoint someone to officially manage the team. He hired a cicada, who immediately made his presence felt. His first decision was to purchase a luxurious carpet and an ergonomic chair for his new office. The cicada also felt he needed additional staff to assist him in his new role. He hired a personal assistant from his previous department to help him craft a “Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimization Plan.” The department now had multiple layers of management, each one adding more bureaucracy, but none improving actual productivity. The once cheerful and efficient workplace became a grim and stressful environment. Employees who used to enjoy their work now spend their days drowning in paperwork, sitting in meetings, and feeling pressured by unnecessary oversight. There were no more laughs, no more motivation, just stress and frustration.

One day, the cicada suggested that the lion conduct a “climatic study” to analyze the office environment and workplace satisfaction. The lion agreed, but as he reviewed the growing expenses and the decrease in productivity, he became concerned. To find a solution, he hired the Wise Owl, a prestigious and well-respected consultant, to conduct an audit. The owl spent three months studying the department, meticulously reviewing every role and process. After compiling his findings into several thick reports, he finally presented his conclusion that “The department is overstaffed.” Faced with this revelation, the lion knew he had to take action. And so, he made the tough decision to lay off an employee. But who would he fire first? The answer was obvious… he fired the ant. The ant, the one who had worked the hardest, was let go because she was deemed “unmotivated” and accused of having a “negative attitude.” The jungle had changed. Hard work was no longer valued. Instead, unnecessary management and excessive bureaucracy had taken over.