The workplace fable of the Young Forester with expensive tastes

Mark Price, former managing director of Waitrose, shares his workplace fables - true stories from the business frontline that can teach us lessons about career success...

The Old Forester was tired. For more than 40 years he had tended his 1,000 acres of woodland. Each year he and his employees cleared and then replanted 50 acres - it was a perfect cycle, as over 20 years the new trees had grown to the perfect size to cut and sell. Round and round his forest he went. The work was hard but the forester’s family lived well enough.

When the forester’s son took over, he followed his father’s cycle and for a while things carried on as normal. But then one year, after the Young Forester had married and had a young family, he decided with his wife they should go on an expensive holiday.

"You work so hard, you deserve a luxury holiday," said his wife. The Young Forester didn’t take much persuasion. "My father never really enjoyed himself. I’m going to chop down 70 acres of trees then we can have that nice holiday. And if in 20 years time the trees are a little less well grown? That won’t be a problem," he said.

The family went on their exotic holiday and liked it very much. So much that they decided to book again for the following year.

But that winter the Young Forester’s house was smothered in snow. It was one of the coldest winters the forest had ever known. Even with the heating on full blast they could not keep the house warm. Each night the family went to bed with extra blankets and clothes and hats on.

The demand for firewood soared across the state, and so the Young Forester and his employees worked hard to cut down more trees. As the winter dragged on, he cut down more and more trees and made a lot of money.

"Why don’t we use the extra money we have to extend our home and make it warmer?" suggested his wife.

"Yes Daddy, it’s so cold," agreed the children.

"Yes, you’re right," said the Young Forester and instead of investing the money in new saplings he spent it on his home. "I should grow my own saplings from seed. Why didn’t my father do that? What a fool," he thought.

"It might take a few years for them to grow to the size of the ones I buy, but I’ll make so much more money." And so that is what he did.

With his new-found taste for exotic holidays and home improvements, it wasn’t many years before he had cut his way around the forest to the first saplings he had planted. Instead of being good-sized 20-year-old trees, they were half that age.

But the Young Forester needed the money , he had wages to pay and a lifestyle to support, so he cleared even more of the forest. A few years later he had nothing but a bare hillside. He was forced to sell the land and his livelihood for a pittance.

Moral of the tale

Any fool can cut and be left with nothing.

Workplace Fables: 147 True Life Stories, by Mark Price, is published by Stour Publishing. To order your copy for ￡8.99 plus p&p, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

Share your Workplace Fables and learn more about Mark’s mission to improve workplace happiness at engaging.works/me/ideas