During the monthly staff meeting, the CEO told all the staff just before he rounded off the meeting, “From now on, nobody is to go into the room right at the end of the corridor on the 7th floor.”
He didn’t give any reason.
Neither did any of the staff ask why. As far as they were concerned, it was an order from the CEO and that was good enough. In the next couple of weeks, really not a single soul stepped into what had come to be known as the “forbidden room.”
A month passed. The company engaged a batch of new staff for the expanding marketing department. As part of their orientation, the CEO again forbade anyone to go into the “forbidden” room. All of the new staff said yes they understood the prohibition and then kept quiet.
Except for 26 years old John, who muttered, “Why?”
Hearing the mutter, the CEO stared straight into John’s eyes and said sternly, “No reason why.”
Back at his own seat, John simply couldn’t keep his mind off the mysterious room on the 7th floor. He talked to the old staff but no one could give him an answer.
“It’s not used by any of the department. It’s not a storage for any confidential documents. So what can it be that everyone is forbidden to enter? I must go look-see to find out.”
The old staff were horrified. The new staff were shocked. They all tried to dissuade John.
“This job doesn’t come easy. It’s foolish to go against the CEO. Blah blah blah…”
John didn’t listen to them. He took a lift up to 7th floor and walked right to the end of the corridor. Standing in front of the forbidden room, John knocked softly on the door. When nobody answered, he tried the knob and was surprised that the door was unlocked. Slowly and cautiously, he opened the door.
The room wasn’t big. At one glance, John could tell there wasn’t anybody in it. There was only a desk in the center of the room. And a piece of paper with scribble was lying on it.
Curious, John walked up to the desk. He saw these few words written boldly in red on the paper, “Take this piece of paper to the CEO.”
John was disappointed. But since he had come this far, he was determined to see it through. So he took the piece of paper and went straight to the CEO office.
News spread throughout the company in no time. Everybody were waiting for John to be sacked.
Half an hour later, the CEO called an urgent meeting. Everyone were surprised to see and were wondering why John was standing by the side of the CEO smiling. Then the CEO announced, “I’d like you to meet our new marketing manager, John.” He paused, waiting for all the whispers to subside, then continued, “Our company needs more people like John who have the courage and the initiatives to break the rules and try new stuff. I’m sure John will do a good job in his new post.”
John didn’t disappoint the CEO.