When you're stuck with (another) day, that's gray, and looonelly...

Since yesterday's blog, I learned a few things. Apparently, my boss, unbeknownst to me, has been in discussions with the Marketing Communications (Marcom) group to move me over there as a "writer." Now, coincidentally, I was simultaneously developing a business case for basically the same thing, except (and this is a big "except") under the auspices of being a "Team Lead".

Why a "Team Lead" you ask and not a Manager? Well, the company I work for (it's big, it's blue, and its people are known to be heartless robots), has interesting definitions of what makes a "Manager" per-se. You have to have a certain number of people directly reporting to you in order for you to be considered a Manager. And even if I did move over to the Marcom group at the level I want, there aren't the proper number of people to report to me to satisfy the requirement. So, at best, I can get a "Team Lead" position which basically means the same thing, but doesn't come with the requisite pay raise. Oh well.

Anyway, I found out my bosses' plans in a meeting with him yesterday and feeling that it was especially lucky that I did find out ahead of time (since everyone talks about me, but not to me) I also took the opportunity to tell him that if I didn't get a "Team Lead" position there, I would not be staying with the company.

Gutsy move I might regret later, but here's why:

1. This is the second consecutive job that I have been promised a Team Lead position in and this is the second one that has renegged on their word


2. If I move over as a "Writer" I will be in effect, putting my career back 3-4 years, since I have held the following titles in the last 4 years: Sr. Technical Writer and Marketing Manager. To go back to "Writer" would be career stupidity

The interesting thing is, that even people here at work that I talk to regularly seem to know more about my bosses' career plans for me than even I do. I find the whole charade fascinating and revolting at the same time.

The funny thing is, in my meeting yesterday my boss said, "Well first, you should never tell your boss you quit unless you're willing to follow through with it."

You know what I did, I chuckled, and then I said, "I wasn't kidding. You're my fourth boss in six months. That's six months that I've been scratching and clawing my way by myself, with absolutely no support behind me whatsoever and I'm done fighting. There are other companies out there who would welcome me and give me the support I need to get my job done."

There wasn't much he could say after that. So, I have a meeting mid-morning today to discuss my "move" and I suspect I'll have a pretty good feeling after that meeting as to my future at my current company. Interestingly, while I don't relish the idea of moving yet again, I really don't care. I honestly don't care whether I stay or go. I suspect that's what has emboldened me to make the demands I've made.

When you've got nothing to lose, why not?

Type "A" Personalities Unite!

I haven't blogged in a few days largely because nothing of note has happened since my mullings concerning the beloved toothbrush (and some might argue that was not worth blogging about anyway); however, today I found a wonderful article about a new study out of the UC Santa Barbara that appears to prove what most of us "Type A" personalities have known for a long time, that our anger makes us better.

The study presents a possible link between a person's anger and their improved ability to reason. It shows that as people get angry, their ability to reason and make better decisions appears to improve. In addition to this casting new aspersions on the whole "temporary insanity due to catching my spouse cheating on me" argument, it also makes people take a whole 'nuther look at "hotheads."

I will be the first to admit that in the past, I have reacted poorly to certain situations, especially in the work environment. My reactions in many cases, while probably not "professional" per-se, were at least warranted and well reasoned (at least I thought so anyway). Others reacted just as poorly to my reaction and thus I was labeled a hothead and I feel innapropriately passed over for possible promotions.

To those people, I would simply like to say, "How do you like me now?"

How does it feel to have overlooked someone who probably had the capacity to sort out problems better than "little Miss Mouse" whom you awarded the job to? How does it feel to think that instead of having a well-reasoned bulldog, you instead got a butt-kissing "yes man" who only did what he or she was told rather than actually considering what was best for the company?

Oh sweet revenge...

Now, obviously this study has its flaws, most notably being the inability to measure a person's level of anger against their ability to reason. At what point does a person go from suitably irritated yet still intelligible, to seeing red and reacting blindly? Having experience both levels of rage, I can unequivocally state that there IS a huge difference, and it is each person's ability to see through the anger that keeps them out of jail and walking the streets a free man (or woman).

For now though, I'm going to revel in my anger. I'm going to yell at people from the safe confines of my truck as I traverse Atlanta traffic. I'm going to mentally squish the lady at the checkout who waits until all her groceries are bagged before she starts writing her check, and I'm darn sure going to demand (in my mind) that my boss give me a raise because we both know that I deserve it.

Of course, all this will probably cause me to have an aneurysm on the way to my beach vacation and I'll die long before my time. But that's ok because at least I'll know that during my short time on earth, I was right all along!