One concept....two interpretations

My post from yesterday stirred up some more memories from my last six months in Corporate America. Specifically I was thinking how an idea or concept that will have a particular interpretation for one person can have a whole other meaning for someone else. Sure we all see this to some degree everyday, but I had an experience that was for me both profound, ironic, and even humorous which I learned from and will never forget.

The environmental consulting company that I worked for had nine field offices scattered throughout the Southeast and Texas with the corporate office located in Houston. I managed the San Antonio office. By the time I took over the San Antonio office in 1999, the company had already experienced some set-backs specifically to the Houston and Dallas offices which were the largest offices with the highest revenues. My office as well as two or three other of the smaller field offices were very profitable, but our offices were small in comparison to the two flagship offices. Consequently, the company went deeply into the red despite the efforts of the smaller offices such as mine. There were inexperienced people at the top of the company with no practical experience in dealing with corporations in crisis, and so their actions wound up being nonsensical and desperate. As the company continued to bleed, it became more and more stressful to be a field office manager. Although most of us were profitable, it was never enough to pull the company out of its steep dive.

In the last six or eight months I was with the company I would commiserate with a couple of trusted fellow managers about corporate's desperate actions to turn things around. And believe me, the things that they wanted the managers to do were often just plain ridiculous and would have saved a penny upfront only to cost a dime in the longrun. If I felt strongly about a particular action item, I would fight it and with a ready argument as to why their plan would not work in my office. As each month passed it seemed that my battles increased. There was a point after diligently keeping abreast of our company's financials as well as digesting the news that we would be paying subcontractors in 90 days or more rather than in 30 days as was the norm that it became clear that the company was in extreme circumstances and all of our jobs were in danger.

From the day that I took over the San Antonio office, I felt responsible for my staff and their job welfare. I had a wonderful staff who all managed to give me 110%, and I made sure to let them know that I appreciated each and every one of them. In turn, they appreciated me in a way that made all the crap that I had to endure with corporate worth it. As bad as the end became, I will never forget their loyalty and affection.

Over these several months of corporate hell, I had called several staff meetings and I did something that according to upper management I should not have done. I kept my staff informed of everything going on with corporate. I also told my staff repeatedly our office was a ship and I was the captain and they were my crew and as such I was responsible for their safe passage and welfare. So I told them that I was concerned for the welfare of the company, and that I feared that the company as a whole was damaged beyond repair and that the recent actions of top management illustrated their desperation. I told them it may come about that the company would force me to conduct layoffs. I told them that I would fight that to the best of my ability, but there may come a time when I may not have a choice. But I would give as much advance notice as possible so that they could start looking for another job. So as their captain worried for their welfare, I encouraged them to look for a way off what I believed was an irreparable sinking ship.

Only one staff member took me up on my advice at that time, and the rest said that they would stay as long as I stayed. I had twice a month staff meetings or more depending on the circumstances and I kept everyone abreast of the changing situation. In fact for a time, it looked like things were going to turn around, so all of our spirits were buoyed for a short time. But I think the leak to the corporate ship was too much and so the pressure on the field offices returned and was ratcheted up. When a large contract was lost and my new supervisor announced he was coming to visit my office, I knew it was coming. He had been pushing me to conduct layoffs and I kept saying no. Of course I had to back-up my no's with hard numbers, and I did. But I found out the hard way that my new supervisor didn't like to be told no, no matter how stupid his orders were.

He arrived the next Monday after my last defiant conversation. We had a long meeting and I was told to layoff most of my staff. I had a eight people on staff at that time, and I think his plan was that Sarah and I would run a skeleton office. He offered to let my people go and he seemed very excited to to do it. I've met a few others in my career like him, people who actually enjoy firing people. They are by far some of the scariest people I have ever met in my life. Not because they are mean or physically scary, but because they have the outward appearance of being nice, but are chillingly cold inside. I declined his offer and called Sarah in to tell her that this was it and what I thought his plan was. She and I sat for a bit with tears in our eyes. She and I had both worked for the company for a long time. So as I informed each member, it was no surprise. I apologized and thanked each one.

The process left such a sour taste in my mouth and I admit after the second day I was feeling angry and a bit more defiant than usual. My boss asked me a couple of questions and I refused to answer one. In retrospect, my defiance appeared to be disloyalty to my boss and it sealed my fate!!

The next day at the end of the day he came into my office one last time. And from the expression on his face, I knew what was coming. I was next to be gone. I felt strangely calm and relieved. My misery would soon be over. And then he said something that nearly made me burst out laughing, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I think by smiling at his metaphor, I stole his thunder! He began by telling me that I was captain of the ship and as such I was responsible for steering a proper course which I hadn't done. I couldn't believe it! Damn right I'm captain of the ship, but how can I steer something when my own commanders sabbotage my ship? When they take away the wheel and my sails? How can I steer something when they punch huge holes in my hull and expect me to go on? What a complete moron! I honestly didn't hear much after this because I was almost laughing! The funny thing is that I did steer my ship. My ship was sound, my office was profitable! It was the fleet that was doomed and so by association my ship was doomed. I didn't play their game their way, and there was no arguing with desperate men! We both used the same metaphor, but we had two completely different interpretations of the same circumstances. To this day, I still think it's funny.

And how did this drama end? My boss went to my First Mate, Sarah, and told her that she would now be a one woman office and the company expected that she would have to put in unpaid overtime to hold things together! Naturally she thought that this was crazy, and what did she do? She called me to come in that night and help her pack up her office. She even asked me to write her resignation letter! So she packed her things and left her letter where he would see it the next morning. She decided that if people were going to be laid-off without notice, she didn't need to give notice to quit.

Brad was there the next morning while packing his office, and he witnessed my boss' stunned expression upon finding Sarah's letter. When he asked Brad why Sarah would be disloyal to the company...Brad just shook his head and told him...You just don't get it, do you?

My office was destroyed that week never to be resurrected. The company folded a year and a half later.

Unfortunately, too many people don't get it, but continue merrily on their way. I don't regret any of my actions during the last several months of my tenure. And I don't regret any of my defiant actions toward corporate management either. I still feel to this day that my first responsibility was the welfare of my office and being professional services my office was thereby my staff. I will always believe that we should all be treated with respect, compassion, and kindness. My company forgot that, and in the end I believe disregarding this Truth resulted in their ultimate destruction.

Yep, I'm the captain of my ship...