So like I said earlier I was re-reading some of my old posts.

Man I recall in Nov 2007 being very excited to start that new job.  Well 14 months later and I’m thinking I made a very large mistake.

The company is doing well and for the most part the people are great.  My issue is with the CEO/President.  He is truly the most unprofessional, manipulative person I’ve ever worked with and that’s how he treats his people.  He constantly says that what we do is easy and can’t understand why things take to long to build.  I can tell you.  It’s because we don’t have a complete understanding of what needs to be built.  Sure we have functional specs but they having huge holes in them every time (something is always missing or not elaborated on).  He over commits to deadlines without checking with anyone.  He breeds an atmosphere of “cover your ass”.  And how dysfunctional is a company that is ecstatic that the CEO is out of the office?  No one wants him there, we all walk on eggshells.

Sad thing is he thinks he’s this great motivator.  His VPs don’t want to even manage people.  How are you a VP and not able to manage people?  I want that job.

Biggest issue I have with him is that he believes if he can’t understand it, then it has to be wrong.  No!!!  If you don’t understand then we need to make sure you do before saying it’s wrong.  It’s not wrong by default.  How this guy ever made it to this position I do not know.  I could go on for days ranting about him.  So suffice to say I think I made a mistake.

I know I should be lucky to have a job in this economy.  My previous employer has done some layoffs and who knows if I would have been part of those.  I’m really frustrated that I jumped at the first opportunity and didn’t see this coming.  My friends tell me I couldn’t have seen it and not to beat myself up over it, but I can’t help myself in that regard.  I’m also frustrated that I’m not in the financial position to just quit.  I guess not many would be but again I think it’s something I did to myself.

Enough of that, I’m trying to maintain a positive outlook while I look for a new opportunity somewhere else.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll get hit by a bus.

Or I’ll get truly lucky and win the lottery.

I accepted the new company offer this AM.  So sometime between today and tomorrow I will give my notice.

It’s been a long time since I recall being this excited.  When I signed the papers this AM, they new company was very happy to see.  They told me how excited they are for my arrival.  I even rec’d an email from the CEO welcoming me aboard.  The atmosphere there seems to be what I need right now.

Even my children are happy that I’ll be closer to home.  Win, win all around.

Well that interview went extremely well and we’re working together on terms of an offer.  It looks like this will be it, after nearly a decade, 15 layoffs and two mergers I’ll be departing.  I’m real interested to see how the new management will handle my departure.  Will they kick me out the door with nothing or let me finish my notice time.  We’ll see.

This is the right thing for my family and myself.  The terms of the offer may not be exactly what I envisioned, but it doesn’t matter.  The courage to be happy is what matters.  The terms will not hurt my family and the intangibles make up the difference.  I will be more productive at work and more importantly happier at home.

After everything I’ve been through over the last 4-5 years I feel like I’m finally getting to a place where I can be happy.  But I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop (that’s my nature).

Well I met with a small local company yesterday that seemed like a real good fit for me.  Spent about 3-4 hours in the interview, met abut 8 people.  The position really matches my background well and I’ve never met such positive enthusiastic people in my life (or maybe it’s just that I’ve spent alot of time with my current company).  You forget sometimes how other people like their jobs and employers.  The last interviewer was real positive, said that they are real interested and want me to come back today to meet the CEO.  It so nice to have made such a positive impression on these folks and its great that they can see where and how my skills can help them.  I must say it’s very flattering to .  I’ve been the one conducting interviews for a long stretch there.  It was different to be on the other side of the table.

Well my fingers are crossed.

Well to day was the day.  We let go about 25% of our staff in an effort to get this new company going.  Luckily I’m one of the ones staying.  As much as I want to be energized about it, today I’m not.  We let go about six people in my area.  Most of them had about seven years with our company.  Some saw it coming, others didn’t.  It would personally stun me to be let me go like that.  Financially not too sure how I’d be but it would make for a very stressful time that’s for sure.

My hopes are with those we let go. 

Well I found out that this Friday we will see who is riffed, laid-off, downsized, etc… from our new company.  As much as I am confident about not being one of them, I cannot help but feel that I might be.  In the past I typically have known more than I do now, so maybe it’s the doubt creeping in.  It’s going to be an interesting week.  Friday should be memorable.  Hopefully it’s a positive memory and not a negative one.

I know it’s been awhile again.  It’s hard to keep with all the issues going on at work and how it’s running over into family life. 

8/24 – 8/26 Red Sox trounced White Sox – Yeah!!!!  8 games up on Yanks

8/28 -8/29 Red Sox lose 2 to the Yankees – Boo!!!! 6 games up – can’t stand overpaid non-performer like JD Drew.

At work it’s obvious with the new merger and after meeting the new CEO and CTO that cuts are coming and they are coming soon.  This of course sucks but I’m told and have been assured I am safe.  I guess we’ll have to see but it hasn’t been easy lately.  You become friends with your co-workers and having to let them go because we need to trim costs is going to suck.  I mean it would suck more if it was me (god knows I can’t afford to be let go) but it will not be much fun letting others go that I have built up relationships with.  I know I am responsible to those remaining but part of me wants to make sure that those who might be going (for I truly don’t know who will go or stay) are at least smart enough to have prepared themselves and have started looking.  So of course I struggle with the thought of getting the word out to people.  We’ll see.  That’s been my mantra for the last 4 weeks now – We’ll see.

Well tomorrow is a big day for me.  I finally get to have a one-on-one meeting with the new CEO.  This should be interesting to say the least.  Then after that I have a meeting with my VP and our new CTO.  I have to believe this is all positive.  I mean if they didn’t like me or what I do then just get rid of me, yes?  Or is this my test?  I know not everyone was invited to a personal meeting with the CEO and of those who have been I have only heard good things about it.

So…we’ll see what happens.  Stay tuned.

Posts have become infrequent, I apologize for that.  With our acquisition/merger/whatever you want to call it my time has been limited.  I’m also off on vacation one last time before school starts. 

So take it easy and I’ll check back in a week or so.  Should have plenty of Rants about the Red Sox and work when I return (hopefully less  about Red Sox then work).

So as I mentioned before we’re going through a merger/acquistion or whatever you want to call it and we have a new management team.  A new CEO, CTO, CFO, the works, all new.  We’ve had at least one company meeting with most of the new C-levels and we were told we were going to do this together.  Only together can we succeed.  We need to build one team.  So much so that they feel the need to combine some offices.  Anyways we were expecting the new CEO to show up today with his right-hand man.  We were told to be prepared for some one-on-one meetings. 

New CEO and marketing person arrives.  Do they stop and say hello?  Do they re-introduce themselves?  Do they even give you any type of acknowledgement that you exist (a little wave or nod)?  No, no and no.

What would you make of that?  Are they just all business?  How do you build a team or expect us to build a team if you don’t acknowledge us?  Are they just too involved with what they need done?

I don’t know, but either way it’s a lousy second impression to make and frankly inexcusible even if they intend to let us all go.