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The Mice in Council:
Once upon a time there were a group of mice who felt continually in danger from a cat. The mice called a meeting one day to figure out how to best fix their problem. Several ideas were brought to the table, but none inspired any confidence. Finally, a sharp young mouse got up and proposed the idea that a bell should be hung around the cat’s neck, so that from then on, they would always have a warning that she was nearby.
With great excitement, the mice applauded in agreement this would work! With the cheers quieted, an old mouse, who had sat nearby in silence, got up and echoed that the plan was quite smart, and that it would without a doubt, solve their problem.
He had but one question to ask: Who amongst you will be the one to put the bell around the cat’s neck?
Moral of the Story: Ideating solutions is easier than their implementation.
The Modern Mice in Council
In a large bank, the executive directors responsible for technology were becoming overwhelmed by the rapidly increasing demand for their products. As the number of users skyrocketed, the company's servers struggled to keep up, leading to frequent crashes and frustrated customers.
Desperate to find a solution, they called a meeting to brainstorm ideas. Suggestions flew around the room: upgrading servers, optimizing code, and increasing bandwidth. Yet, these solutions seemed temporary and costly, unable to keep pace with the ever-growing demand.
Amidst the brainstorming, a highly paid Engineering Manager proposed a groundbreaking solution: migrating the entire infrastructure to the cloud. "It's scalable, reliable, and can handle any amount of traffic," he explained.
The team of executives was thrilled by the idea, recognizing its potential to solve their scalability issues once and for all.
However, a seasoned engineer who hadn't succumbed to ambitious ladder climbing, but was well-respected by his peers raised a critical question: "Who will lead the migration process and be on the hook to ensure a smooth transition without disrupting our daily operations or having any data breaches?"
The room fell silent as the team realized the enormity of the task ahead. While "going to the cloud" seemed like the perfect solution, the practical challenges of migration and implementation loomed large.
Modern Introspection: This modern retelling of "The Mice in Council" in a bank setting highlights the parallels between the original fable and the challenges faced by modern businesses. The central theme remains consistent: innovative solutions may seem perfect on paper, but without the right people to lead and to remain accountable until they're finished, ideas are nothing more than lip service.
Be wary of the one who brings solutions to the table but isn't willing to put themselves as part of the stakes for its completion.
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