The Takeaway
Loyalty in the workplace.
A national sales meeting, an industry conference, a technology convention, a prospective marketplace, Justin had attended them all over the years of his career. He just completed his registration for this grand daddy of them all. He downloaded the app and picked up his badge before returning to his room for a brief rest. He was processing his options.
When he was about to leave the office, the day before, his SVP of Product Development, called him into the office.
“I appreciate your passion for this technology. I know you will represent our company well at the conference. Five panels, three breakout presentations and the closing key note. Must be a record.”
“Thank you. I do love this technology.”
“Even I have never been invited to contribute to so many aspects of a major convention,” a hint of angry envy trembled in the SVP’s voice.
“It’s my honor to represent.”
“I want to be fair to you, we support you through this convention.” The SVP seemed to smile with a snide glint of evil in his eyes. “But the company is going in a different direction. We’ll make the announcement at the end of the quarter. Your position will be eliminated.”
“I see,” Justin felt sick to his stomach. His young boss didn’t value loyalty.
“I wanted you to have the chance to network, find a new role while you participate in the convention.” Unable to ascertain Justin’s impression of the news, he continued, “But if you wish to pull out of the convention entirely, I understand.”
“No!” Justin took a breath before he continued. “I have been looking forward to it. Like you said, it’s a great time to network and find new opportunities.”
“Well, make connections, but don’t tell anyone about the upcoming reorganization. It would violate your NDA.”
“I’m experienced enough to deepen connections without revealing why.”
“Yes. I suppose you are good at that.”
At the convention Justin lay prone on his bed, processing the conversation from the previous day. He thought that he would retire from this company in about five years. Now, he had to consider other options. The callousness of it all cut deep. A tear trickled from the corner of his eye.
“None of that,” he spoke to himself as he jumped off the bed and headed into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and said, “If there’s any takeaway from that conversation, it is that this week I will be better than I have ever been before.”
The five-day convention and marketplace, a combination of industry information sharing and sales pipeline generation, was one of the best Justin had ever attended. On the final day, he would give the parting keynote at noon.
On the fourth day, Justin was preparing for the panel, when his SVP called him from the home office. “I told you to remain silent about the upcoming changes.”
“I have.”
“Open the business news.”
Justin opened up the business news on his device and saw the anonymous leak about a significant new direction for his current company. It came from an unnamed source at the convention.
“That was not me.”
“Well, I want you to leave immediately. Don’t complete the convention.”
“I’m sorry but I have made commitments that I must keep.”
“Well, our reimbursement stops with this call. You can pay for the rest out of your pocket.”
Before the end of the day, a lawsuit was announced against Justin for leaking confidential information from the company. The company was impugning his character even before he left the convention. The opportunities he had been developing disappeared with the announcement of the lawsuit.
Luckily, Justin kept copies of business plans and detailed documentation of conversations with his boss. When he sat down with an employment attorney, the attorney started by asking him, “What’s the takeaway?”
Justin looked serious and said, “Never trust anyone.”