Friday, August 04, 2006

Bottom of your career: replacement is being introduced to co-worker across the hallway

Today at work. Sitting in my cube & minding my own biz, I was interrupted by a director for another group. He introduced a new hire to me. The new gal's title is blah1 team lead. I was just about to say, innocently, 'wasn't this the same title of John Unlucky' across the hallway, when the "friendly" director said, "John is leaving."

Hmmm... What do you learn from this? What should I learn? So true it is a two-way street in the corporate America. You can fire the boss at will, so can he/she. If it is so true, why am I somewhat upset by it? Did I expect a month notice before firing, or some second chances? Am I upset because I suspect that I may appear to be a dispensable as well. Or, am I upset only because it is not a good business practice nor humane practice? The first let-go guy is still in the market, three months later, trying hard to explain away why he was let go to employers impressed by the depth of his expertise on the subject matter.

Should Mr. Unlucky celebrate his release from this firm, or cry over his let-go? Given that this replacement-shows-up-first thingy had happened once already, only three months ago, plus the fact that this firm has less than forty staffers, including the CEO, the CFO, and the janitor.

Or, should we just move on and forget about it, as one of my favorite character said once, "who cares? An emperor or a beggar, we are all here to make a living. All is cool as long as we play the part in the show so to make the show real, yet remind yourself it is merely a show."

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