The Old Life Is Behind Me...
...Thank you, God!
I met two of my former colleagues for lunch today at a Pacific Rim restaurant. Had pan-crusted salmon with double order of veggies (instead of rice--gotta watch the carbs!). Yum-my!
Anyway, I got them caught up on what's been going on with me for the last 3 1/2 months; they were both thrilled with my success to date. And a little surprised--they're seeing a side of me they never knew existed. And, why should they? When we worked together, I made it a point to not discuss personal stuff because (a) as the VP HR it was important to me to maintain a professional relationship so I wouldn't be accused of playing favorites, and (b) I didn't want my role as VP HR to be hindered by personal stuff. If that makes sense. Wait until my books actually come out. They've both told me to let them know and they're going to buy the first one.
We'll see. I warned them that it's a side to me they've absolutely never seen!
So, as we're eating lunch, some of what's going on at my former place of employment came up. Now, keep in mind that the ladies I had lunch with have been there for 30 years. One will be retiring as of January 31st; the other had planned to stay another 5 years, but isn't sure she can take it that much longer. The woman who's retiring had a recent conversation with the CEO. He wondered if he should be spending more time out in the branch offices, and she gave him her opinion (which he solicited), saying she thought what he was doing was fine, but perhaps he was out there too much. Employees were seeing him as someone to complain to versus the CEO.
He didn't act upset with her at all. Half-an hour later, her boss (a Sr VP) came and told her that the CEO was demanding an apology from her. When she finally calmed down, she and the Sr VP went to talk to the CEO. She explained what she'd meant, he interrupted her, repeated what she'd said (wrongly, which is one of the problems I got tired of dealing with--having a conversation with him and have him completely remember it wrong). She repeatedly explained what she was saying, he repeatedly interrupted her with what he thought she was saying. The Sr VP finally butted in to say, "No, B. She's saying this." (Which is what she'd been saying.)
Can you see me shaking my head? Once the CEO gets something in his mind, whether it's how he remembers a conversation going, or his interpretation of an email he read, whatever, that's the way it is. You're wrong, he's right.
He had her in tears over this. And no balls to talk to her directly, to say, "Maybe I misunderstood what you said, but this is what I think you said."
Oh, and when she said to him, "B, I think you took this personally," he cut her off and rather agitatedly said, "I never take anything personally."
Oh. Right. That's why you demanded that she apologize. (Like he demanded that I apologize for doing my damned job--via email, not face-to-face (like I said, no balls)--then completely ignored my return email where I very professionally and in a non-attack manner stated why I believed it was the wrong action to take. I got tired of that, too. Sending him emails that he completely ignored. I mean, come on. You get an email from one of your VPs, you need to read and respond to it.)
I am so glad I'm out of that hell.
7 comments:
Sherrill, I'm so glad you got out of that job too.
OMG. Can you believe how I angsted over it? But it all worked out the way it was supposed to, I guess.
Yeah. Who needs that kind of "leadership!" You're on a better path for *you.* :^) ~Su
Sherry used to look at me askance and I could see her thinking something, something that had her puzzled. Since I started writing, a lot, instead of just piddling at it, she's told me what she was thinking back then.
"You should have been writing. You were never happy until you began writing, and letting yourself go, getting into it, not worrying about the bills, not sweating the money, just being Forrest writing. And now, when you write, the whole house fills up with light and laughter. You were meant to write. So go write. Now."
And she's right, of course. She's been right ever since we originally got married. She knows.
I'm a writer.
Well, Sherrill, you got contracts. You got stories coming out, you got a novel in the works, you got yourself busy writing. If you get lost in it and feel wonderful when you stop, then you're doing the magic that is YOU. You're a writer.
Congratulations on moving past - up from - away from that old life. You had no business trying to please the old fart.
Well, Forrest, pleasing that old fart, as you say, was in the job description. It's usually the last line that says something like this:
Performs any duty as requested or required.
Something like that. And I still firmly believe that, as long as it's not illegal or unethical, you should do your job the way your boss wants you to do your job. Which I did. But when he turned his s**t-gun on me, well, enough's enough. I quit.
Yay me! Best thing I coulda done.
Su, you have no idea! I was such a whiner for, jeez, 4 months. I was so worried about impacting employee morale because we'd had so many executives and managers leave in such a short amount of time. Some willingly, and some not so willingly.
But it finally came down to them or me (literally, my blood pressure wasn't doing so well), and I handed in my resignation. I got no "thanks for the last 5 years", no "good luck." Just a "do you want to get your personal things now or come back after 5?"
What. A. Prince.
Not.
Ooooh. Perfect fodder for a nasty character in one of your stories! Heh heh heh. The pen, er, keyboard IS mightier than the sword! lol ~Su
Post a Comment