Do As I Say, Not as I Do
The Head Honcho in the office has some unorthodox business practices that often leave me shaking my head. For instance, Head Honcho would rather lash out at an employee who has done something "wrong" (this is a subjective view on Head Honcho's part) in front of co-workers and/or business associates rather than take said wrong-doer aside and privately discuss a given issue. This is because Head Honcho believes in governing the employee pool by making an example out of the wrong-doer.
I don't know anyone who thinks this is (a) showing good business acumen or (b) effective, but I'm not the Head Honcho. But this goes to show that when dealing with Head Honcho, everything is a free-for-all.
Head Honcho and I get along for the most part. I do my thing and I do it well, and most importantly I try to warp my sense and reason so as to hold firm to my ethical principles while still being able to talk a language Head Honcho understands. It's tiring but effective.
The past few days Head Honcho has been asking for an oral report on the status of a key account we are meeting with next week. I have been at a loss because it's not so easy to provide a report on something you have nothing to report about. This is because the key account is less than cooperative. This is also a big crux in the issues on which I am to report. Luckily, I hit information pay dirt yesterday, and a co-worker and I ambled into the front office to share the news with Head Honcho.
I expected to be met with some sort of positive comments. Instead I received, "Can you please put this in an email for me? I'll take it from there. We'll make this work and turn it around."
Um...Ok. So I did. This morning. Because I was busy and so was Head Honcho and it could wait. So I fired off a quick, concise, for internal-purposes-only email to Head Honcho, detailing my conversation with the key account in question. I had done just as was asked of me.
In return for this precious information, Head Honcho forwarded the email directly to the key account- both key account's Head Honcho and my counterpart there- and in a heartbeat ruined my relationship with my counterpart and possibly the key account.
Who does that?!? What made Head Honcho think it was even remotely a good idea? I am mortified--not so much for myself (of which I am a bit) but for the company as a whole. It's hugely unprofessional and hugely uncalled for. There is nothing to do to save face. In a couple words, we're screwed.
If I had been thinking, I wouldn't have done what Head Honcho said. I would have known he likes to make examples of people in public forums (regardless of whether it is a staffer or an outsider) and would've just "forgotten" to provide the update. Sure, it would've made Head Honcho's wrath fall upon me, but that could've been easily forgotten soon enough. I am livid thinking about what tomorrow holds when I open my email. I am destroyed over the fact that I am now faced with a huge obstacle that wasn't there before--and at the worst possible time. I am disappointed that the fearless leader decided that it's Ok to treat accounts like this.
Yeah, it sucks.
I don't know anyone who thinks this is (a) showing good business acumen or (b) effective, but I'm not the Head Honcho. But this goes to show that when dealing with Head Honcho, everything is a free-for-all.
Head Honcho and I get along for the most part. I do my thing and I do it well, and most importantly I try to warp my sense and reason so as to hold firm to my ethical principles while still being able to talk a language Head Honcho understands. It's tiring but effective.
The past few days Head Honcho has been asking for an oral report on the status of a key account we are meeting with next week. I have been at a loss because it's not so easy to provide a report on something you have nothing to report about. This is because the key account is less than cooperative. This is also a big crux in the issues on which I am to report. Luckily, I hit information pay dirt yesterday, and a co-worker and I ambled into the front office to share the news with Head Honcho.
I expected to be met with some sort of positive comments. Instead I received, "Can you please put this in an email for me? I'll take it from there. We'll make this work and turn it around."
Um...Ok. So I did. This morning. Because I was busy and so was Head Honcho and it could wait. So I fired off a quick, concise, for internal-purposes-only email to Head Honcho, detailing my conversation with the key account in question. I had done just as was asked of me.
In return for this precious information, Head Honcho forwarded the email directly to the key account- both key account's Head Honcho and my counterpart there- and in a heartbeat ruined my relationship with my counterpart and possibly the key account.
Who does that?!? What made Head Honcho think it was even remotely a good idea? I am mortified--not so much for myself (of which I am a bit) but for the company as a whole. It's hugely unprofessional and hugely uncalled for. There is nothing to do to save face. In a couple words, we're screwed.
If I had been thinking, I wouldn't have done what Head Honcho said. I would have known he likes to make examples of people in public forums (regardless of whether it is a staffer or an outsider) and would've just "forgotten" to provide the update. Sure, it would've made Head Honcho's wrath fall upon me, but that could've been easily forgotten soon enough. I am livid thinking about what tomorrow holds when I open my email. I am destroyed over the fact that I am now faced with a huge obstacle that wasn't there before--and at the worst possible time. I am disappointed that the fearless leader decided that it's Ok to treat accounts like this.
Yeah, it sucks.
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