Knocked Down...but Not Out for the Count

You have all heard about the stress looming over the Rodriguez household throughout the month of August. I talked about it here, here, here and here. Well, the good news is that Chris hit his start and got the BIG raise he's been working SOOOOO hard for.

The bad news is that his work is treating him like a total butthead. They have never once recognized all of his hard work. For example, he's kicked butt far and above any other member of the team for the last five starts, he organized and ran a marketing event, trained new employees because his boss went "out of town" two days after he hired them, I could go on and on. The bottom line is that he is a STUD. And they haven't had the decency to even tell him good job.

Instead, they've decided to make changes to the current class schedule which in turn will make hitting his numbers for the next start seventy-billionith percent harder. His boss never defends him nor will he address the appropriate departments when there is a problem leaving Chris to confront that department although he doesn't really have the authority.

I've listened to Chris complain, vent, whine, gripe and moan over this for the past three weeks. Mostly, I've listened. Sometimes I've agreed and complained with him. Last night, though, the conversation struck me differently. Maybe it was because it was the eleventy thousandth time I'd heard the same complaints.

Chris is the most talented, brilliant man I've ever met. Not only does he have the book smarts but he knows how to interact with people of all kinds. Plus, he has one thing that I rarely see in brilliant people---AMBITION. He thrives on success and won't give up until he's accomplished whatever it is he set out for. Right now, he's pineing for a promotion but is beginning to get discouraged because of some things (GOSSIP) that have been said about him by the higher ups. We discussed this in detail last night. At one point in our conversation, I had a moment of enlightenment. All of a sudden, I realized that he was going about the whole situation at work and with the promotion in the wrong way.

Chris was very eager to tell his boss, his boss's boss and his boss's boss's boss all the things that were wrong in his department and give them ideas on how to improve them. At first, this was welcomed by all parties. They took some of his ideas and implemented him thus giving Chris a big head. From there, he took his alleged authority to the next level. Speaking to other departments, he'd also give suggestions for improvements and emphasize areas that weren't working. Although each of his suggestions and ideas were ALWAYS right on the money, he was not justified in expressing his opinion because he did not have the authority. It kind of spiraled out of control from there. Suddenly, those who he thought were allies were turning their backs on him. It even got to the point, suspectively, that they may not have given him a good recommendation for the promotion he's been after because several departments viewed him as being difficult.

Over the past few weeks, I've witnessed Chris becoming more dispondent, more depressed and more beat down. My North-County-Up-Bringing-Self wanted to go all NoCo on those punk witches for treating my hubby like a doggy chew toy. But that would most definitely classify me as a crazy CRAZY wife. Which I am most certainly not. Most of the time.

The thing that hurts the most is that every action that he made had the most sincere, heart-felt intention. It was not for his own personal gain but to make the school a better place for the students and more successful for the employees. It is such a shame that the authority figures could not see that.

Did I mention that Chris is BRILLIANT? Well, the people he works for are not the smartest cookies in the box. Often times, Chris (unitentionally) would imply that they are STUPID. Because it is the truth. However, no one likes to be made to feel that they are inferior. Thus, defenses go up and the whole operation goes awry.

Today, Chris has his board room meeting with all of the department heads in which he must answer several questions in regards to his performance, attitude and goals for the next start. This is his chance to mend some fences. But, it has to be done tactfully and sincerely. SINCERELY. That's a hard concept for Chris to grasp.

My suggestion was for him to start off his meeting with a SINCERE apology for his actions in the last meeting and over the last start. Make reference to the fact that he overstepped his bounds but only had the most honest and sincere intentions in doing so. Also, he should say that he has the highest expectations that this start will contain the utmost compatibility across all the departments and is looking forward to working in a more positive manner with each person. Yeah, it's all BS. But if done sincerely, no one will know that he's full of it. And that is the ultimate goal in sales....FAKING SINCERITY. Once you accomplish that mission, grasshopper, you are ready for the next level.

I just received official word from the battlefront. Chris heeded my advice on his approach to the Board Meeting and the verdict is in........

I AM THE SMARTEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD!

When I asked him how it went, he responded:

"I KILLED! I came out of the meeting smelling like FREAKIN' roses!"

I'm still waiting on the thank you. But even if I don't get those actual words, I know he's grateful. And, I did what a GOOD wife should do. I bucked up. Told him the truth. And was his ROCK.

I'm so proud of him. We're GREAT together. Words cannot express my love.