William E. Lopez
Approx. 1,210 words
© 2002 by W. E. Lopez
"I will probably get passed over for a promotion again, because...."
The Promotion
By
W. E. Lopez
There were sixteen of us vying for the promotion to Assistant Sales
Director for West Coast Operations of US Fidelity Investments. My wife, Trish, had all ready made up her
mind that I would be the one chosen, and was frantically collecting cruise
brochures while trying to decide between Hawaii, the Caribbean and perhaps
Australia.
I
will probably get passed over for promotion again, because I am not a sycophant
like many of the other sales reps in the Santa Barbara office. It’s not in my nature to simply agree with
everything the Director says or thinks.
I am not continuously on the look out to improve my standing in his
eyes. In fact, based on last year’s
sales figures, I was only ninth in sales for our department. I don’t have a snowball’s chance of winning
this promotion.
What
Trish did not know is that US Fidelity was in the process of downsizing both
staff and perks; by the end of this day I would be lucky to hold onto my
job. I have a 20-year-old daughter at
Stanford, and an 18-year-old boy who will be going to UCLA this year on a
partial scholarship. I could certainly
use this promotion and the accompanying raise in salary, but I wasn’t holding
my breath.
The
phone rang on my desk and I snatched it up before the second ring. “John Dekker speaking.”
“Mr.
Dekker, this is Diane in Mr. Thompson’s office. Would you please step down the hall for a brief interview?”
“Of
course, Diane. I’m on my way. Are there any files the old man would like
to have me bring along?”
“No,
sir. He merely wants to discuss a few
topics before this afternoon’s staff conference.”
“Thank
you, Diane. I’ll be right there.”
Now
what was Thompson planning on discussing with me? How many days severance pay I’d receive? How pleasant I might find it to begin
looking for a position with another investment firm? Certainly it would not be the promotion to Assistant Sales
Director. It was but a short walk from
my cube down the hall to Roger Thompson’s office. His door was open and Diane waved me inside.
Roger
stood and walked around his large desk, gave me a quick handshake and pointed
me in the direction of a large, overstuffed chair. Ominously, he closed the office door behind me. I’m not paranoid, but I suddenly began
thinking, “The axe is about to fall.”
“Thanks for dropping by,
John. I wanted to clear up something
before this afternoon’s department briefing.”
“Anything I should know
about before the briefing, sir?”
“Well,” he paused, sort of
like a hunter who lets his breath out just before pulling the trigger, “I guess
it’s common knowledge throughout the department that Greg’s position as
Assistant Sales Director is up for grabs.”
“Not only throughout the
department, chief, my wife is anxious to book us a cruise reservation to
celebrate.”
“Hmm,” he muttered as his
brow furrowed. “I’m sorry to have to
tell you this, John, but you are not going to get the position as my
assistant.”
“Well, I hadn’t actually
expected it, Roger. I know that at
least half of the sales reps have posted an increase in sales larger than I
have this past year. It’s only proper that
the best man for the job is appointed.”
“John, receipts from sales
are only part of what US Fidelity is all about. A few of our reps are eager go-getters. They have easily topped your sales each year, but they are not
the people I would recommend for this promotion. A good investment counselor is not necessarily a good
manager. On the other hand, your
customers have stuck with us for as long as I can remember while the new
customers the go-getters have signed up with us seldom stay with us for the
entire year. Do you know why that is,
John?”
“Times change, Roger. I guess they’ve moved along to another
investment firm. That’s sound financial
planning I would say. Don’t put all
your eggs into one portfolio, you know what I mean?”
“Yes, yes I do, John. But we always diversify a client’s
portfolio, so that isn’t the real reason.
No, the real reason your customers stay with US Fidelity is because a
person like you puts the ‘us’ in US Fidelity. Instead of churning a customer’s account to generate more
commissions for yourself, you only advise when buying and selling is in their
best interest, and you’re seldom wrong.
“That’s the reason I’m not
recommending you for the Assistant’s job.
I think the friction between your self and the go-getters might be too
much. Sooner or later something would
have to give, and there are too many of them for you to fight on your own. I’m more interested in satisfied customers
who stick with us, providing a loyal base that will ensure our success well
into the future.”
“You flatter me, Roger. I’m simply trying to do my job as a good
account manager.”
“I’m aware of that,
John. Now, what you probably haven’t
heard is that I’ll be leaving this desk shortly myself. I have only 18 more months until retirement,
and I’ve earned a transfer to Saint Louis where I plan to settle down. But, for the same reason I’m not
recommending you for the Assistant Director’s job, I’m not going to recommend
you for the Director’s job either.”
“You mean I’m getting my
walking papers, Roger?”
“No way, John. You’re much too valuable an asset to US Fidelity,
I wish we had a thousand more sales reps like you, and I want you to show the
bright-eyed college kids the way this business should be run. I’m recommending a transfer for you John. US Fidelity will expand with a new office in
Hawaii. I’ve recommended to the head
shed in Chicago that you should be tapped for the job. This morning I received instructions to
offer the assignment to you. So, what
do you say?”
A promotion! Not to Assistant Director but as Director of
a new office in Hawaii! A branch of my
own! Trish would really go for this!
“Roger, I’m more than
flattered that you have so much confidence in me. Do you really think I’m the man for the job?”
“I do, John, or I wouldn’t
have recommended you. I don’t think you
know how to fail when it comes to dealing with people and investing their
savings. I want you to teach the new
kids the responsibilities we assume when we invest money belonging to our
clients. I want you to teach them how
to put ‘us’ into US Fidelity, John.
Will you do it?”
“It’s too good to pass up,
Roger. Of course I will, and I’ll make
sure that I never make you regret this decision.”
“Oh, I know I’ll never regret recommending you, John. Long before you can really foul things up, I’ll be comfortable at home with my gold watch framed on the mantle above the fireplace while I tend to my gardening.”