Tumult, carnage, and peace?

The time has come.  The expectation has been fulfilled.  The axe has swung, narrowly missing the head of the general manager.  He is gone, but on his own accord.  The pressure was too much, the intensity too strong.  He needed to plan his future, find a place to live before the next school year, so his daughter can have a place to call home, going into her senior year.  Traveling home to see his family on the weekends was too high a price to pay, given the unbearable pressure from the hypocrites he reported to.  I am happy for him, and I have never seen him so relaxed.  He'll be moving out west, while his replacement is already poised to move into his chair; no coincidence.  The preparations were made well in advance of his departure, the interim training in an "undisclosed location."  He wasn't sure if he was next, or one of the other remaining two in the region who are under the gun.  He chose freedom, at least for now.  But after speaking with him, he will transition into another large company, to find temporary refuge, and ultimately an impossible dream of security.

He wasn't alone in the carnage.  The business manager, axed.  The stockroom, closed.  The office was shut down two weeks prior.  And the hatchet man?  Promoted.  That's right; he's moving on up. These are the individuals who are nurtured and cultivated at this organization.  But at the local level, they are running scared, wondering if they are next.  The GM told me that I will be spared for now, because I am performing well.  But he didn't share the same confidence about the other managers, locally and at the branches we service.  And I am here today; who knows about tomorrow.  Sound familiar?  It should.  It's been happening for years.  And it continues at breakneck speed, all around the country, and around the world.  But we are the masters, here in America.  We know how to build things up and tear them down faster than anyone on earth.  

I can go on about the fear cascading down the chain.  Not just in conversation, but the fear on the faces of the managers I work with.  The tone of the correspondence.  The shift in attitude.  Even the most seemingly confident (cocky) are now cowered in the corner.  Daddy can't protect them any more.  Luckily for me, I only rely on myself to succeed.  My achievements speak for themselves. Today.  I don't know what tomorrow brings.  I crushed my financial plan for the last fiscal year.  But my less than stellar March had me wondering if I'd make it through April.  That's the nature of this beast.  Going to work with a pit in my stomach.  I was made aware of a condition the other day called a leaky gut.  I didn't look it up, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had suffered from this condition over the past several months.  Only Buddhist posture and concentrated breathing would alleviate the sensation.  But it's gone now.  I'm not exactly sure why; but I have been working tirelessly to remedy the situation.  I like to think my work has paid off, and maybe it has.  But I think there is more to the story.

The GM made a bold move.  I was convinced that he was fired, and that he was towing the company line. I had two opportunities to have breakfast with him, and he convinced me that the decision was his own.  I admire his courage to leave.  And I'm sad that he will move laterally into something where his fate won't change, short to medium term.  He will be at the mercy of somebody else's whim; maybe more brutal than the last bunch.  I pray this won't be the case for him.

The GM's departure has evoked a lot of emotion.  And he was a very unemotional guy.  As he walked through the plant last Friday, he shook the hand of everybody he encountered.  He walked the plant floor maybe ten times in the past year.  But he made his rounds, and he caught me on his way back to his office, to grab the last of his belongings.  He shook my hand, as if to say this was not goodbye.  I asked if his mobile number would remain the same, and he asked for my email address.  We will be in touch.  I have no doubt about this.

So through it all, what are my final thoughts on his departure?  With all of the uncertainty of what lies ahead, what have I concluded through it all?  Evaluate your life, gauge your position.  Where do you stand today?  When will you be poised to just be content, regardless of the future?  I, for one, have much to look forward to.   All of these events, the tumultuous carnage that is much of corporate America, have brought me peace.  I am getting married next week, in a small ceremony on a beautiful lake, down the street from where I live.  I have referred to my mate as my wife in earlier posts, because that is what she was destined to be.  Our little angel will be there, our beautiful son, with a judge, my sister (the photographer for our event), and a good friend that we met a year ago here locally.  My brother will be there for the weekend.  And we leave for a trip to the homeland after that, my beloved Hungary, my home.  No place on earth is home like Hungary is my home.  Things are looking up, as they have been for a couple of years now.  The universe is at my fingertips.  And yours too. So why should we be worried?