Andrew filled a chair for four years. That was his primary job. He sat in a chair, agreed with the boss and collected a paycheck. He never argued or caused a fuss. He just filled a chair.
When Andrew gave his two-week notice, his boss was disappointed. His boss told him he had been a good soldier and they would miss him on the front lines. They worked in marketing.
In one of Andrew’s final meetings, his boss was trying to secure a new client, and he was showing the team his pitch deck. The firm wanted to take over marketing for a local fair, but his boss’s presentation was full of jokes making fun of the fair.
Andrew, realizing that he could give his fellow chair fillers a gift, decided to speak his mind for the first time in four years. He raised his hand.
“Yes, Andrew,” his boss said. “Did I miss an obvious joke?”
“Sir, I don’t think you’re going to win this pitch by making fun of the people who work at the fair. It’s nothing against you. You’re hilarious, but they may not have a sense of humor about this.”
Andrew’s fellow chair sitters shifted nervously as the boss stared Andrew down. Then his gaze softened.
“Excellent point, Andrew. That’s why we’re going to miss you on this team. I’ll rework this and we’ll meet tomorrow.”
“Sir, I have an idea about this,” Buddy, a fellow chair sitter, said.
“Who asked you for ideas, Buddy? Why don’t you follow Andrew out the door?”