Week 3 Story: The Poor CEO

The Poor CEO

(Andrew Carlson the CEO from Wikipedia Commons)

"Where are the rest of the files? You know this meeting is important. Are all of you incompetent?" raged Mr. Carlson. 

Andrew Carlson was the CEO of one of the largest real estate agencies in San Francisco and was famed for his temper. This morning was particularly bad as Andrew's company had an important meeting with the owner of one of the largest privately owned parcels of land. He had been on a rampage, insulting all of his employees and firing one poor girl who came in ten minutes late. 

As Andrew walked into the boardroom to meet the owner he saw a frail-looking old man. Perfect, he thought, it will be easy to get the land if this old man is the only owner. He didn't even bring a lawyer. As he sat down and greeted the old man he noticed an odd expression on the man's face. Before the meeting could even start the old man stood up and closed all the blinds and locked the doors. 

"You have quite the reputation", said the old man.

"My bark is worse than my bite and we would love to manage your property sale," replied Andrew, trying to salvage the sale. 

"That young lady I saw crying on my way in would beg to differ."

"Well, those were extenuating circumstances," began Andrew.

"No," interrupted the old man. "I've been watching you and you're nothing but cruel and selfish. You care not for other people and are too used to having everything handed to you. It's time for that to change."

Right before Andrew's eyes, the old man's appearance became identical to his own. Alarmed, Andrew turned to look at his own reflection in his computer screen and saw that he now appeared as the old man. 

"What's happening? What are you doing to me?" exclaimed Andrew.

"I'm a genie who came here to teach you a lesson. You need to learn some humility and to appreciate others around you." stated the old man.

Andrew dismissed the whole interaction as a weird dream and went to his secretary to get the rest of his day scheduled out. His secretary acted like he was a total stranger, however when the genie came up to the desk she immediately handled him Andrew's schedule. Distraught, Andrew began to get very agitated. The genie made his own secretary throw him out of the building. Then he tried to go home but his apartment keys were in his office. When he tried to go to his apartment manager to get a spare key they treated him like a total stranger. Eventually, the building owner had to call the police to get Andrew to leave.

It was at this point that Andrew realized he truly had nothing. His job, his home, his very identity had been stolen from him by the genie. He spent the first night after this frightening realization on a park bench. He quickly realized this was not a viable solution and began looking for new options. He went to several companies to submit job applications but with no credit and no identity he had a hard time getting a job. He managed to get a few jobs dishwashing but found he was not good at or prepared for this kind of work. He spent his nights at the homeless shelter downtown. After a few weeks, he realized he was good at fixing things around the shelter. From that job, he was able to help the shelter with some of its finances and aid with renegotiating their contract with the city.

After a few years, Andrew had become an invaluable member of the homeless shelter's administration where he lived and worked. One day Andrew learned they could expect a visit from his old company about a possible sizable donation. On the day of the meeting, the CEO met with everyone from the admin office one and one. When it was Andrew's turn he was worried about what the genie would have to say.

"Andrew," said the genie "you look well, I think it's time I give you your life back."

"No," Andrew said "you were right. I was horrible before and I don't want to be that person anymore. The people here really need me and I like the work."

"That is exactly why you should come back," said the genie. "You've become humble, selfless, and kind. The sins of your past life will no longer haunt you. I will make sure the people here do not suffer your absence."

At his words, their appearances turned back as they were. The genie took Andrew's place helping the shelter and Andrew went back to his job as CEO. From then on his company was well renowned for its charity and fairness and its CEO was well known for his kindness and selflessness.

Author's Note and Bibliography: This story is based on The Beggar King, from  Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa. In the original story, a king commits blasphemy by ripping pages from the Holy Book. To punish him a genie appears and switches their appearances, taking the king's place. The king then becomes a beggar. He tries various manual labor jobs but his life as a king has not prepared him for that kind of work. Eventually, he finds a place with a group of blind beggars who he guides around. One day the genie as the king calls for a feast with all the beggars. When he meets with the king, the genie offers him his old job back. The king turns him down because the blind beggars need him. Realizing he has truly changed, the genie takes the king's place as a guide for the beggars. The king, having learned his lesson, then rules the kingdom with kindness and generosity for the rest of his life. There are several parallels to my story. The basic message and storyline are the same. The main difference is that the story has been brought into modern times by making the king a CEO. Additionally, instead of ripping pages out of the Holy Book the CEO's crimes are more broad; just being rude, selfish, and mean.