Metaphors for Managers — The Red Ox
Half a century ago there was a farmer who took great pride in his farm
On this farm was a red ox
More than all the other animals on the farm, the farmer was proud of the red ox
When other farmers would visit, the farmer would inevitably lead them out to see and admire the red ox
And for good reason too
When the fields needed to be plowed, the farmer tasked the red ox to do so
When a tree stump needed to be removed, the farmer tasked the red ox to do so
When a heavy load needed to be moved, the farmer tasked the red ox to do so
And when the farmer needed to go to town, it was the red ox that pulled the cart.
Day in and day out, the ox pulled, pushed, and carried all that it was tasked to do
Over time the red ox became lame in one leg, but it pushed harder with the other three
When the red ox felt weak and sick, it focused on the task it was given, never showing weakness
When the red ox didn’t have adequate feed nearby, it searched the fields further and further away from the farm
But the red ox would always show up the next morning to work just as hard as the day before
Year in and year out the red ox worked without fail
Then one morning the farmer went to fetch the red ox and the red ox was nowhere to be found
The farmer searched around the farmhouse. The farmer searched the fields. The farmer search by the far away creek.
It was not until the farmer searched a far off grove of trees that the red ox was found under a tree, deceased
Worried and panicked the farmer thought the worse, “This must have been the nefarious doings of someone jealous of my good fortune to have an ox, like the red ox”
The farmer decided to investigate and called a top veterinarian from a nearby town
After an autopsy was performed, the veterinarian reported that he was surprised the red ox worked as hard and as long as it did
His full report stated that the red ox had become lame from overwork, was suffering from internal maladies too long to list, and was malnourished and had been for many years
The farmer in hearing this news became outraged and exclaimed,
“Why didn’t the red ox ever tell me?!”
This is Part 1of 4 in a series. To read Part 2 click here
