A tale of (almost) every workplace — whether the Sheep gets the promotion or the Fox 😃!

There is a Sheep in my office — every office has at least one!

He is one of the most sincere employees in the office. I have not seen anyone putting in more hours at the office than him. He is an introvert of the highest order, timid, does not talk beyond what is necessary — but delivers work of the highest quality. The models he prepares, the reports he writes, everything is almost perfect. Within the small team he interacts with, everyone acknowledges his competency as well as his contribution to the team.

But here is the catch! Other than the very few of us, nobody even knows what he does!

Quite a few — including the office leadership team — might not even know that he exists.

Then there is also a Fox in my office — every office has many!

He is not the most competent among all the employees but is definitely the smartest. He works in the same team as the Sheep but only chooses to do work that gives him higher visibility. If there is a town hall meeting with 500 people, he would be the one to raise his hand and ask the presenter the question. Often the question is asked just for the sake of asking a question rather than seeking any clarification.

Literally, everyone in the office knows him — including the leadership team. His work is not of the highest quality, but nobody knows this other than the very few employees who work closely with him.

If the Fox works ‘x’ on his deliverables, he works ‘2x’ on his visibility and presentation.

The Sheep, on the other hand, works ‘5x’ on his deliverables and ‘0x’ on his visibility and presentation.

Year-end appraisals are due!

Between the Sheep and the Fox, only one can get the promotion.

In their minds, both the Sheep and the Fox think they have done what is necessary to succeed in the corporate world.

If the sole criterion is the value delivered to the company, there is a clear winner — but unfortunately, it does not work this way. I wonder if it would be a difficult decision for their manager. Or maybe not — and he had sorted this out long ago! Both of them have been invited to the appraisal room, and the feedback session is on.

Just outside the appraisal room sits a Silent Monk, curiously observing all the proceedings. He wonders: the competition between the Sheep and the Foxes is not just limited to the office but also exists in almost every aspect of life.

Our worth is often not decided by what we have but by the illusion that we create of what we have.

The Silent Monk eagerly awaits to see who wins this race. And while he is waiting, he wonders how he was once a sheep but had been slowly turning into a fox — both within the office boundaries and outside it!

I am not sure he would be very happy to realize his own transformation.

While The Silent Monk is still ruminating over his deep thoughts, the meeting is over. The news is out that only one of them has got the promotion.

Who do you think got the promotion — the sheep or the fox? Please do let me know in the response section 😃!

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