What Donkeys Can Teach Us About Sharing Workload and Avoiding Burnout in Corporate Life

A good story for all of us to follow in our careers......

Once upon a time, a washerman was bringing up two donkeys.

Let us say Donkey-A and Donkey-B.

Donkey-A felt it was very energetic and could do better than the other. It always tried to pull the washerman's attraction over it by taking more load and walking fast in front of him.

Innocent Donkey-B is normal, so it will walk normally, irrespective of the washerman's presence. After a period of time, the washerman started pressuring Donkey-B to be like Donkey-A. But Donkey-B, unable to walk fast, received continuous punishment from the washerman. It was crying and told personally to Donkey-A, "Dear friend, only we two are here, why compete with each other... we can carry an equal load at a normal speed."

That made Donkey-A all the more energetic, and the next day, it told the washerman that it could carry more load and even run fast. Obviously, the happier washerman looked at Donkey-B, his BP raised, and he started kicking Donkey-B. The next day, with a smile, Donkey-A carried more load and started running fast. But it was overwhelming for Donkey-B, and it couldn't act that way. The washerman was frustrated, so he harassed Donkey-B terribly, and finally, it fell down hopelessly.

Then Donkey-A felt itself as a supremo and happily started carrying more load with great speed. But now, the load of Donkey-B is also being carried by Donkey-A, and it still has to run fast. For some period, it did, but finally, due to fatigue, it got tired and started feeling the pain. The washerman expected more from Donkey-A. It tried its best, but couldn't cope with the owner's demand. The washerman got angry with Donkey-A also and started harassing it to take more load. Donkey-A was crying for a long time and then tried its best, but it couldn't meet the owner's satisfaction. Finally, the day came when, due to frustration, the washerman killed Donkey-A and went searching for some other donkeys.

It's an endless story...

But the moral of the story in corporate life is, "Think all colleagues are the same and that everyone is capable. Always share the load equally. Don't ever act smart in front of your boss and never try to get over-credit. Don't feel happy when your colleague is under pressure."

It doesn't matter if you are A or B; for the boss, you shall always be a donkey.

And most importantly, never work hard, work cleverly... "Success is a journey, not a destination."

Regards,

Mamta S. Khandelwal

Hi Mamta,

Thanks for posting this little piece. It's quite interesting, especially how we as employees tend to view our employers!

Personally, I do not agree with any of the three lessons.

For the last several years, I have worked in open collaborative environments where my bosses/mentors have been supportive and encouraging.

Whatever innovative ideas and energy that I brought to the fore were discussed openly and analyzed. If they were any good, implementation took place...

I think the lesson here is HOW WE TEND TO VIEW SITUATIONS!!!!

Organizations today are working hard to build an ownership culture within their people and refuse to even label their 'team members' as mere 'employees'.

For the success of organizations and teams, it's important that collaboration takes place, and there is healthy competition. It sounds too idealistic; however, I believe that people with ideas and energy should be recognized!

Within this culture of meritocracy, there are many solid "B" players (in performance rating lingo) who form the backbone of organizations. Thus, both co-exist to make things happen!!!

My aim is to bring another perspective without aiming to criticize anyone. I hope the comments will be considered under that light.

Regards,

Anubhuti

Hi,

Great article.

In earlier times, we used to work to satisfy our basic needs of food and clothing. Nowadays, many of us seem to have forgotten this. We work so much because of several reasons, with the main reasons being competition and societal pressure, that we skip our meals and sleep. It's really sad the way the new so-called corporate culture is shaping up.

Hi Anubhuti,

Well, I should say that you are among the lucky lot who are working with good employers. I agree that the corporate scenario is drastically changing today. The boom of IT has made the manufacturing sector also look at their employees as team members.

The motive of this post is also to remind people that competition is necessary in life, and in fact, it leads you to success, but it should be healthy competition. Unless and until people practice it in a healthy manner, it's not just a demotivator to the other innocent colleague but also a future complication for both the employee and employer. That was my main motive for putting this story online.

I would end with the words of David Murphy, VP, HR, Ford Motor Company. He says, "Teamwork is caring for each other's success."

Regards,
Mamta

Hi Vidhyawhabi!

I agree that the corporate culture is changing today. We are sometimes being unfair to ourselves (with regards to health, relationships, peace, and harmony) by working long hours and forgetting the real essence of life.

But, I still feel that if the individual wants, he/she can still take a little time for recreation and relaxation each day. But please underline the words "if the individual wants."

Regards,
Mamta

Anubhuti,

Mamta has brought out a perspective from the story to have consistency in achievements. She has closed the story with a saying that Success is a journey and not a destination. It is reality in our lives too.

I recall when my mentor cautioned me on my first success with above saying. That time I felt very bad; but he added that the journey ahead is going to be tough. You need to benchmark your own records. People shall have higher n higher expectations every time. Go steady but maintain consistency. I could understand this at much later date, when I realized I have gone too far into it. Although he was as supportive as your bosses are today; and may be more. I still admire and respect him even after reaching at his level.

Now I could easily correlate and also talk on it.

“Lets learn from the learning of others and not get obsessed with what we possess”, It is also said, “If you have an apple and I have an apple, we both have two apples but if you have an idea and I have another idea, we both have two ideas instead”

This is CiteHr

Best wishes

Parashar

Mamta, you have hit the nail on the head by saying that "Work smart rather than work hard". No matter what your style of working is, if you are good, you will be noticed. Your colleague may try all tricks to undermine you in front of the boss, but ultimately, the boss knows the truth. He or she understands the situation and knows whom to turn to in times of urgency. However, that does not mean turning a blind eye to office politics, especially when played by your colleagues.

Regards

Very true, Parashar. We should not get obsessed with what we possess. I really liked the ending part of your message. You spoke about the win-win situation. If peers work together as a team instead of wasting time trying to put the other one down, then it's a winning situation for both :)

Mamta