So here is the situation: I'm the IT guy for an office with about 20 people and about half of 'm are highly trained/skilled IT professionals. Most of the sales people have their own laptops they don't want me to touch. So, I find myself in a position where I don't have to do much of anything other then well? Thinking deep thoughts?
I sort of anticipated this and even during my job-interview I hinted at my soon to be boss that this wasn't going to be a full-time job. I convinced him I was interested in doing PR or marketing and so I was on my way to manage a small project and all was well. Until he left six weeks after I entered the company.
He left the company with the promise that he would ask the marketing & sales director for another opportunity, possible in sales as a sales-assistant.
Good thing one month later good fortune found me – the sales representative for Scandinavia was about to resign and I smelled opportunity. When a temporary general manager dropped by for a maintenance visit from HQ I walked into his office and told him of my ambitions and this landed me the sales job. Goodie, goodie.
Thus far I knew how to stay out of any doublethink office politics, but “moving up” one floor made this impossible. One point I would like to make thus far: people generally confuse me.
By that time I knew how information circulated in the office, who takes advantage of the abilities of others, the inherently “good” and “evil” the obviously clueless. Also, my sudden change in career gave me some evil eyes since some people in the technical department were also hoping to extend their horizon.
This is the part where this story hits the “now”.
I also got a great deal with a customer one days after my initiation last Monday. Thereby proving I perfectly knew what I was doing. And that was when it happened: one of my sales colleagues felt like smearing shit over my so far outstanding rep. (we will call this person Hans)
I was warned by no less then three (!) people about Hans and his evil ways. He had an track record for behaving in less then socially acceptable manners. Good thing a more noble individual warned me about his little smear campaign.
Basically what he did was selling bullshit stories to all the fellow sales representatives I still had to meet. The guy nice enough to warn me about this fine colleague will be called “Fred”.
As with most situations where there is clear-cut solution I first react and will ask questions later – so I violated his privacy by checking his MSN records. I couldn't believe my eyes.
our MIS a kid from 20 or so will take Scandinavia for now
big joke
he will act like a sales assistant
and do marketing
I monitored him
and he is not motivated
he does not take his job very seriously
what the hell is going on, this kid is a joke
he is too young. not stable enough
The only thing I felt was anger. A lot of it. And ROFLCOPTER. And WTFBBQ. I decided on taking an early break and kicked a tree. I was without a clue what to do.
I slept over it and still felt lots of anger the following day. Without a person with authority in sight. All the managers taking business trips or taking a vacation, an office without even a general manager. Great. So I decided to confront him the following morning. I questioned him about his idea of “being a professional”. This is how Hans replied: “I'm entitled to my opinion.”, “You misunderstood completely.”. Later in the conversation he described his words as “normal”. The arrogance! So I told him I wasn't going to listen to his fine words any longer and that about the arrogant little shit he was and walked away.
Yea, I guess I totally misunderstood. Asshat. As always, I look forward to Monday =)
