Hard work taught me the value of merit in rising through the corporate world. My career had been in Information Technology, requiring ongoing education attested to by certifications. I had been “working the ladder” of a large health-care corporation, moving from Computer Operator, to Systems Programmer, to Network Administrator, and then Lead Network Administrator by the time I was twenty-six years old. I was an IT “golden child,” ready to move into management upon the retirement of my immediate supervisor.
Whit, my boss, was retiring at the end of the month, just as I would be finishing up the implementation of a new drug management system. It was a high-profile system, much desired by Administration. A clean and successful implementation would put the spotlight on me just when the IT Director’s job was open. I expected to have the new DMS in place and operating before Whit’s retirement party.
In the review of my implementation plan, I was sure to note my direction of the other network techs, and the after-hours work I would personally put in. My anticipation included advanced praise, so I was taken-aback by Whit’s initial hesitancy.
“I can’t fault your plan,” he said, shuffling through the sheaf of notes with charts that supplemented the test system pulled up on his computer workstation. “I think it’s more aggressive than it needs to be. The old system will work fine until the new one is in place. You should ease off on the installs. Stretch them out. Even over a couple of months.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Whit was technically competent, but slow about everything. Tech Support would be a lot more “kick ass” under me.
“I don’t see the point in holding off,” I said, confidence brimming. “And I’d like to give you a successful implementation as a send-off.” It was a hollow sentiment. I knew it as soon as I said it. Whit just sat, staring at my plan writeup with a sardonic smile. When the silence went on too long, I felt the need to cover.
“I mean, I want you to feel good about endorsing me as your replacement. Gotta keep climbing the ladder, you know.” I smiled, but cringed inside at such a lame comment. “I mean, I hope you feel that way. You know…”
I remember Whit dropping the papers and leading back in his swivel chair. He thought for a minute before speaking. “Marty, I understand your ambition. You’re a good tech and you’ve done good in all your positions here. I’ll approve your plan, and you can keep the aggressive schedule if you want. Just let me give you a little advice along with my signature.”
I didn’t expect anything worthwhile from him. Maybe a platitude I didn’t need. I’d accept it as a guru’s wisdom, though, for his sign-off.
“When I was your age, Marty, I was hot into computers, too. The company was investing heavy in building their IT. They called it “Data Processing” back then. Anyway, I was in on the ground floor and I burned the midnight oil many nights getting it all on-line. And I did, working with a good crew and rising through their ranks, like you’ve done.
“I turned my attention to maintaining systems and improving them. I came up with a an extensive weekly IT report that I presented to Administration. Like your install plan here, it was a thick sheaf of diagrams and stats. I’ve made that report every week since.
“In time, though, I realized I wasn’t getting Admin’s support like I did with the implementation. It became obvious they didn’t want innovation. They had no interest in being the model IT for the Health-Care Industry. As long as they computers stayed up and spit out the right results, they were satisfied. They patted my back for ambition, but didn’t support it.”
I just stared at him, trying to look respectively interested. In truth, I wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
Whit looked away and nodded, silently agreeing with himself. “Administration doesn’t understand computer tech. And they don’t care to. Their desires for IT are minimal. That never changed whether I busted my butt or just did the minimum. So that’s what I gave them. The minimum. I quit busting my butt and nobody noticed. I did no more than necessary and nobody noticed. I submitted the same IT report every week, only changing the date. In over twenty-five years, nobody noticed.”
He went silent. Letting his story sink in, I guess. Maybe for himself as well as me. I didn’t doubt that he had given up on ambition years ago. He had never shown any interest in innovation himself in the years I had known him. I supposed a person could get jaded if they never achieved on the job, but I refused to give up just from a few setbacks.
“I understand, Whit. Admin never wants to spend money. They have to be pushed.” He nodded assent but didn’t seem convinced. Of course, he wasn’t.
Whit’s retirement party was a big affair held in the main conference room with cake and snacks. The CEO for the corporate Finance division dropped by and made a speechlet. He even announced that I would be the new IT Support Director. I assumed the promotion was from Whit’s recommendation, supporting my own efforts. In any event, I hand the job now and I jumped on it.
I instituted daily status meetings for the Support staff. I optimized the on-call schedule. I came up with a comprehensive IT Plan for our corporate division that I expected to become a model for the rest of the corporation. When the CEO asked to meet with me about my plan, I felt like my star was rising.
Meeting with the CEO wasn’t like meeting with Whit. I felt empowered. I presented my plan with interactive visuals and handouts. The presentation went on for thirty minutes and I concluded with an aggressive schedule for implementation.
The CEO grinned big. “Impressive, Marty, impressive. I’d like you to show some of my staff how you put it together. We’ll consider your plan. Just don’t be in hurry. Big changes like this take time. Just keep us going in the meantime.” He clapped me on the back and directed me out the door.
I returned to my office without speaking to anyone. Sitting at my desk, I watched the slow workings of the office going on around me through the glass pane. Heads down in work and gossip, nobody noticed me. After a while, I got on my workstation and found the weekly IT report I had revised into an interactive web document. I deleted it, opened up Whit’s old report, and changed the date.
THE END
Man, this brings up some many feelings and thoughts about my own IT career, which I quit almost 4 years ago. Seemed like no matter how hard I worked, it didn't matter. There was never enough time to get everything done and whether I worked hard or goofed off, the job the next day was the same. Do it all over again.
Anytime there were implementations to make the job more efficient, which they said would save us time, the extra time saved would be spent doing more. It became soul-killing work for very little to no recognition.
Companies don't care about IT until something goes wrong and then it's all-hands-on-deck to fix the issue brough on by the link the CFO clicked on, allowing a hacker access to his system. True story.
IT doesn't produce money, it just takes it. That's the sentiment from administration, anyways.
Thanks for this little story, Ray.
This was kinda chilling. I could almost feel his ambitions coming to a grinding, jarring halt in those last 2 paragraphs, and wonder if that couldn't be accentuated. Well done.