Friday, May 18, 2007
Politics of Resignation
Yesterday my boss finally went public and announced my resignation. This was a bit of an unusual thing to do, resignations normally go fairly unmarked. New appointments are made without reference to the person leaving. Yet this has been, and will continue to be an unusual ride. We bashed back and forth a number of versions of a communication to get it right.
You see, sometimes resignations mean nothing, sometimes they mean a whole lot. In my case, it’s a bit of a tough one for him. No one will want me to go. Indeed, since the announcement went out I’ve had three people come by and personally ask if I would stay. For my boss, he went to great pains to make sure it was clear I was the one resigning, that he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Also, that he had it firmly in control and everything was fine, really.
Curiously he wants me to stay around as long as possible. Sometimes that’s the right thing to do, sometimes not. I think he’s making a mistake, better to get me out so that he really can be in charge, but I’m sure his thinking is keep me there so he’s got a convenient scapegoat if anything goes wrong. It won’t work that way, of course, but I’m guessing that’s his thinking.
So now its public. The inevitable changes will happen. Authority will drift from my fingers, my managers will start the dance to see who replaces me, or to take what advancement they can in my leaving. I’m not saying that to denigrate them in any way, its just human nature. In leaving I create a vacuum, and human society can not bear a vacuum in its social hierarchies.
My email inbox will begin a decline from 2-300 a day to not very much (something I’m really REALLY looking forward to). My calendar, normally packed out from 9am to 6pm, will start to have gaps, and eventually be empty. People who would normally stop by my office or grab me in the hallway will stop doing that.
You know what? I’m looking forward to it. The next job will busy me up soon enough. For now, its time to slow down a little, leave the office a bit earlier, maybe even see the kids before they go to sleep. Perhaps I’ll even get to stop and have a proper lunch once in a while.
Hurrah!
You see, sometimes resignations mean nothing, sometimes they mean a whole lot. In my case, it’s a bit of a tough one for him. No one will want me to go. Indeed, since the announcement went out I’ve had three people come by and personally ask if I would stay. For my boss, he went to great pains to make sure it was clear I was the one resigning, that he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Also, that he had it firmly in control and everything was fine, really.
Curiously he wants me to stay around as long as possible. Sometimes that’s the right thing to do, sometimes not. I think he’s making a mistake, better to get me out so that he really can be in charge, but I’m sure his thinking is keep me there so he’s got a convenient scapegoat if anything goes wrong. It won’t work that way, of course, but I’m guessing that’s his thinking.
So now its public. The inevitable changes will happen. Authority will drift from my fingers, my managers will start the dance to see who replaces me, or to take what advancement they can in my leaving. I’m not saying that to denigrate them in any way, its just human nature. In leaving I create a vacuum, and human society can not bear a vacuum in its social hierarchies.
My email inbox will begin a decline from 2-300 a day to not very much (something I’m really REALLY looking forward to). My calendar, normally packed out from 9am to 6pm, will start to have gaps, and eventually be empty. People who would normally stop by my office or grab me in the hallway will stop doing that.
You know what? I’m looking forward to it. The next job will busy me up soon enough. For now, its time to slow down a little, leave the office a bit earlier, maybe even see the kids before they go to sleep. Perhaps I’ll even get to stop and have a proper lunch once in a while.
Hurrah!
