Thanks for your constructive comments Looniekat
Once upon a time there were two garden gnomes, Andes and Pole. They were those traveling types that visited each and every garden they fancy, to peddle flower seeds and bulbs.
Everywhere they went, they were welcomed. In fact, Andes the elder gnome received a silver star from an old wizard living in the cold mountains. Medola was happy with the ginger root that grew so well in his customized green-house. Mixed with a bit of tea, it warmed his cold joints better than the keg of beer he had depended on in the past.
One day, following the advice of a tree squirrel, Andes walked down an unfamiliar path and came upon a cottage tucked deep in a beech forest. A tall elf with pointy ears and big smile came out to meet him. Ladida was curious about the star on Andes's shirt-collar; Where did he get it from?
Cattleya, my Mom's orange version
Immediately Andes took out a flip-chart and began to talk about his adventures and the people he had met while selling his garden seeds. At the end of his presentation he asked, "How about you, Ladida? Would you like to buy some seeds? I have a few specimen that will look gorgeous in your garden."
Ladida leaned over and whispered. "I don't buy seeds. I make them for sale. Since you have so much experience, why don't you join my venture."
The elf then proceeded to show Andes all his wonderful plans. Locked inside a camouflaged room was a technical plan for the production of Psychedelic Rose Seeds, while next to it was a greenhouse that sprouted a new specie of purple Spotted Lily. With spittle spraying out of his mouth in spurts, Ladida convinced Andes that he has bigger and better ideas in the making.
Andes's face flushed and heart pounded: Is this the startup that will help him earn his pot of gold? He tossed and turned in a borrowed bed the whole night, but by breakfast he had made up his mind to work with Ladida. Soon the other traveling gnome, Pole, joined them. The venture started well. Andes found a customer who liked the Spotted Lily seeds. The Psychedelic Roses, however, did not catch on because what Ladida thought of as colors was actually rainbow mold. However, both Andes and Pole agreed that future products will more than make up for their current losses, so they hung on.
Moving to and from the production cottage proved to be hard work for Andes and Pole, hence Ladida trained a drooling bull-dog, Goldie, to send seeds and messages to the two gnomes. With intensive training from the three managers, Goldie soon learnt to take on anything she was asked to do, even licked unfamiliar boots.
As the years passed, Ladida became more ambitious. He began to think up ideas like crystal Cattleya orchids and diamond studded Begonias. Andes and Pole were excited about his technology and they went all over the magical world describing in vivid details the amazing flowers they will be selling not too far ahead in the future. Which was well and good, since every garden they visited had Spotted Lilies. As the months went by, Goldie began to carry more messages but no seeds to the gnomes.
Some customers became so mad with the empty baskets, they kicked Goldie out of their door and sent the gnomes away with harsh words. The bull-dog's ordeal did not end there; because whenever she returned home without new orders, Ladida would leave her out in the rain and withheld her supper.
One day a mangy, limping bull-dog came up to Pole. The gnome only managed to recognize Goldie because of the GPS collar around her neck and the empty basket. Pole knew that she couldn't take another beating, so he unscrewed the collar and buried it by the side of the road. Then he fed her and sent her off.
That afternoon, Pole flew a red kite with hopes that Andes would see his call for an emergency meeting. The two gnomes met at a fork-trail in the woods two days later. The following week, they ended their partnership with Ladida.
Moral of the story: When managers begin to blame failures on those who has no role in decision making, something is really wrong.
Read more fable-styled articles.