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Sometimes you Got to Bite your Tongue to Get Ahead

blanchyPosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago6 min read

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In my 20's I spent 3 years in the head office of the company I started with after college. It was where the directors and chairman had their offices so I was in the firing line. Managers didn't last long there as you needed a thick neck and sometimes you had to take a hit to get higher up the ladder. I was only 23 at the time so I didn't mind taking a tongue lashing from an old guy. I was used to it in my local pub. Their bark was always worse than their bite. We were a tough company to work for but the rewards were really good if you lasted. I wasn't going anywhere. When a director came in some of the others ran. I met them head on and was the first to get whipped if they saw something they didn't like.
There were 4 directors at the time. Strange for a 6 billion euro operation (It wasn't at the time but we were getting there). The fab 4 had their own ways and the most vicious of them was the HR director, Breege.
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Breege was the most demanding and I will do a weekly post about some of the things she had me doing. She made grown hardy men cry and I have seen senior buying directors quivering in fear going in. One day she requested me to her office. There was a buyer outside. White as a ghost. I knew the guy. He was well respected. We were in her PA's office waiting to see her.
I fucked up he blurted out.
I just nodded. Don't talk. He just wants a sounding board. I am a minnow to him.
We have a major supplier visiting. The business owner and his wife. Turns out it isn't his wife and they were not happy

Easy mistake to make I said.

He was called in at that moment and the next 20 minutes was a dressing down of epic proportion. I even found out how much the guy earned annually from the shouting. The buyer came out a broken man and went about his business. I was next. Bound to be something shit.
Would I go to help out in Breman?
You can't really say no to Breege.
OK
So off I went to Breman for 2 months.

Now the 4 directors were getting on in years. 2 of them were elephants and would remember what they had for breakfast in 1940. 2 of the others were a bit forgetful. One evening around 7pm, a taxi pulled up outside and Breege got out with her suitcase.Breege had made her way in from Dublin airport which was around 30 minutes away from Dublin city centre.
Hi Paul , Would you drop this case down to my car in the basement.
No problem Breege
I took her case and scampered off down to the company car park in the basement. At this stage in the evening everyone had gone home. I walked into the car park. There was no car to put the suitcase into. I didn't know what to do so I rang my boss who is still around 5 levels beneath her.
I'm down in the carpark. Breege told me to put her suitcase into her car Ahhhhhhh there is no car*
My boss was in his 60's. Seen everything and gave the loudest sigh ever.
Not againnnnnnnn. She's after doing it again.For fuuuuckkkkkk sake. OK there is still time. The car is in the airport.You need to go get it. She cannot know she left car at airport. When she gets embarrassed you will face her wrath and that means I will face it 5 minutes later when I get a phonecall. Get a taxi to the airport and find her car

Where is it? It's a big bloody airport

She used to be on the board of the national airline so try the executive parking. Go now. I will sort you with cash when you are back.
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So here I am in a taxi with the keys of an S-class mercedes on the way to the airport to find a car that I didn't know it's location and I had to be back before her majesty noticed. Short term car park was my first port of call. Asked for the exec car park. I approached the window of the office.
I take it you are out for Breege's car
I smiled, how did you know
Because it is the 4th time this year

I paid her parking fee. I got in and there I was driving into the city centre in an S class merc. Easily the nicest car I have ever driven. I get back in 30 minutes and I drive into carpark and put her suitcase in the boot. I walked up to the office and knocked on the door.
Why did you take so long? Breege asked while typing on her computer.

I thought I would give them to you on the way down I said
That's just lazy she answered.
Close the door behind you

I got away with it. That was the best case scenario. I rang the boss and he was happy with the outcome. Even though it wasn't my fault sometimes you gotta take a hit to get on. In hindsight I think she realised she left the car in the airport and didn't want to look weak. She knew I knew and she admired that I took a hit. I was promoted soon after by the very person. Sometimes you gotta crawl through the dirt to come out the other side with better prospects. I see some of the younger ones nowadays and they would walk after a dressing down that myself and the buyer got. This guy was on 6 figures annually but the fab four treated everybody the same. Thats what I liked about them. They held no prisoners.

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