Now for something a little lighter. It’s an experience-based observation. Here it is: If you are going to act like an idiot who has no idea what you are talking about, you will likely do it in front of the highest level of management you can find.
I am filling in by sorting mail and doing deposits at the office while our receptionist is on a medical leave. Sounds okay, I’ve done most of these duties before – although for the second shift in a row, I couldn’t get the reception Outlook to open, which makes sending scans of cheques, etc. a bit frustrating.
While I am sorting the mail, our regional vice president Bob walks by just as I’m opening an envelope marked The Chief Executive Officer of *my companies name*. As far as I am aware, we have no CEO at our company, so I ask Bob if we have a CEO. He says no, so I show him the letter. After looking at it for a bit, he says, “Maybe Tim S. would be the best one to give it to.” I thanked him, and he went on his way.
Now, I wasn’t sure who Tim S. was so I looked him up in our employees list. It said he was the Canadian Vice President of Operations, and that he worked in Central Office, which meant I should be able to deliver the letter straight to him. I asked our maintenance worker if he knew where Tim’s office was, and he took me to an office that apparently had been Tim’s, but Tim had just moved out of it. We wandered around the office building until we finally found an office with his name on it. Tim saw me looking in the glass beside the door, and beckoned for me to come in.
I wasn’t the least bit nervous, but he looked kind of cranky, as if I were bothering him while he was busy.
Remember that I had never seen him before, or he me, as far as I know.
Did I go in with a smile and say “Nice to meet you, Tim, I’m Donna, filling in for Debbie for a few weeks, and usually work from home”? No. Did I say “Sorry to bother you, you look busy, I’ll just leave this for you to look at”? No
What I said, as I held out the envelope was “Bob says it’s you this is for. I mean Bob says you should do this envelope. I mean you need to look at this…”
He said, in a dazed and annoyed voice: “Well give it to me so I can look at it then!”
Then I did a sort of curtsy and backed out of the room in a shuffle step, shutting the door behind me.
I’m pretty sure he thinks I have special needs and that I was working above my abilities.
It’s a good thing that I’m not looking for a promotion anytime soon!
Positive Changes 