I recently received a promotion at work. Well, sort of.
My boss, the Quality Manager, was moved to a different job, and after a discussion with the plant manager, "we" decided that I, the Quality Engineer, would be evaluated on an interim basis as the Quality Manager.
First of all, I do a lot of the job already, and the Quality Manager and I are very busy at work getting everything done. So now I've been promoted, on an "interim" basis so they can evaluate my performance doing the same job that I've done for the past four years.
So my reward for all the work that I've put into the company is that I'm now doing the manager's job and the engineers job, with no monetary benfits (raise). Somehow, I'm thinking that I'm getting shafted in this deal. BUT, the company is doing what's best for it, as usual.
Secondly, as I've made perfectly aware on this blog, I do have goals, big goals, and they don't include being Quality Manager in a factory, or anything close to that. To get rich, to get financially independant, you need to work for yourself, and you need to build wealth. This is very important, wealth building is what everyone should focus their lives on, from buying your first house, to buying your first rental house, to buying your tenth rental house, to buying your first restaurant chain. This is the only rational way to spend your time. As Steve Pavalona says, "the worst part about having a job is that you spend all of your time working, so you don't have any time to make money."
This is what brings me to the purpose of this blog. Let's assume that I wanted this Quality Manager position, and I've been working for it all my life, and now the opportunity has opened up, and I'm overjoyed and elated that I finally have achieved my life's goal and have worked my way into middle-management. Heck, let's even assume I got a raise for all of my extra efforts. Life's looking pretty good, right?
Here's the problem with this scenario. During my talk with the plant manager, when he offered me the 'interim' Quality Manager position, we talked about several issues, but one in paticular that I want to share. He said that I have to make sure that I get people to react when I need them to. I mentioned to him that I won't yell and scream and cuss and throw things (a direct reference to my previous boss), but I am very effective at recruiting people's help and I can be very persuasive. His response was very polarizing to the situation, and to what's wrong with the entire corporate America scene.
He said that he doesn't yell or scream to get his point across either. He said that he doesn't need to - he knows that he has the power to ruin anybody's lives in the plant with two words. Therefore, he went on to say, he's reasonable with everyone, because he has that power.
The worst part about what he said is that he's right. Some guy could get out of bed that day, kiss his wife and kids good-bye, come to work to support them, thinking that everything's good, and this guy could ruin his life with his two words.
At first, I wanted to react. I wanted to tell him that he's right - he could ruin anyone's life in the plant - except mine. I have given advice to some of my friends at work, but as of yet, I am the only one that has taken the time to invest in appreciating assets, and assets that provide me with residual income. I wanted to tell him that those two words would really boost my lifestyle, and give me more time to do what I really enjoy doing, and do something that will make a lot more money than this place will ever give me. More importantly, it will give me financial independance. But, I didn't say anything. I sat there, thinking of what I should say. Condeming myself to trade my time for money, for now anyway. Biding my time - it will come, soon, when I am going to walk out of this corporate America concept, and actually start using my brains.
-Chris Kuhlman, President, Chreff Properties
