Today I’m meeting with the President of the company I work for (let’s just call it XYZ). It’s a multi-national that is currently

1. Selling off a couple of divisions
2. Being purchased (okay, it’s a takeover) by a competitor

How, you may wonder, do you do both at the same time? Well, the divisional sales contract was closed before the takeover was announced. Currently, I’m managing the transition of my division AND doing my normal day job. I’m busy, but I would much rather be busy right now than looking for work. It makes life interesting, but I know that when I’m finished with this sale, I’ll be released (aka “riffed”, laid-off, let go).

In 2001, I was asked to participate in an initiative that restructured our entire company. After that project was completed, I was given a position of much more responsibility than any I’d had before. Two years later, we decided to offshore all of the work done in the U.S. to India. I worked on that project as well. Lots of my friends found themselves without a job after that one, but again, I got lucky.

In 2006, I picked up my family and moved 60 miles in order to take on the new challenge that I was offered….(I hate driving, and can’t see spending 90 minutes commuting each day). I bought a house, took Shortman out of the school district that he’d been in since Kindergarten, left neighbors and friends, and threw myself into learning everything I could to be successful with this “very difficult, needs to be turned around” division. And I think I was well on my way to doing just that. Clients loved the fact that I followed up on promises. That I was positive and obviously interested in their business. They seemed to sense the commitment I had made to them (maybe my pointing out my house to them through the office windows had something to do with it? Yes people, you can see it … it’s a disgusting thing sometimes - my need to NOT drive in Michigan….I am the “anti-car”…shhhh, don’t tell my uncles.)

Six months after the move, I was told about the impending sale.

Then it started all over again. Asked to manage the transition (damn, that Organizational Theory class did come in handy) and handle the staffing. But this time, there’s little likelihood of a job waiting at the end. I won’t move my family again (not until Shortman is out on his own…I made a promise that he would finish High School here) and the only positions with the new company are out of state (and neither state is very appealing).

If I am able to stay with XYZ (which I’m still hoping to do - I really like the company and the people), then I’ll probably be on the road a lot (I don’t mind….Shortman and Mr. Hot? Not so much). But even then, with the takeover that is pending, that would likely be a dead-end as well.

What’s a Hotfessional to do?

I guess I keep doing what I’ve always done. Be optimistic. Do my best. Sell myself by being responsive to client needs and making sure that I’m seen as a leader. Wearing a tight sweater from time to time (kidding……well, maybe sometimes it helps…..no, really, I’m kidding. Kidding!).

I started this post by saying I was meeting with the President of the company today. He’s coming to speak to those of us working on the divestiture about what’s going on with the rest of the company. I interviewed with him for a different position than the one I have now a couple of years ago. He offered it to me, but I was in the middle of a huge project and couldn’t leave at the time (there’s that ‘I’m committed’ issue again - I seem to have a problem). He seemed to understand and approve. He wasn’t President at the time, but because of the work we did on that project, he took over a different organization than his predecessor had. More streamlined and more efficient, but still in the growing phase and with the pains that come with that.

In two weeks I have an appointment to meet with him one-on-one. I’m hoping that with what I hear today, I can prepare for that meeting and be asked to work on the next sale - which will, I’m hoping, bring new challenges, opportunities to expand my network of contacts, and buy me some time until Shortman graduates. (But if not, I’ll bring out the Wonderbra.)

—- Please take a moment today to pray for the families of the six men that were killed in a horrible plane crash into Lake Michigan as well as the man waiting for the organs they were transporting. Killed were two pilots, two U of M surgeons, and two transplant technicians. These are people who are heroes —-

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