Forget the Yellow Brick Road

by Liz Green

Dorothy was pleasantly relieved. This response was quite the turnaround from what she expected. She was too shocked to say anything.

  Catherine continued. “On paper you seemed to have the experience and skills to do the job, but I was concerned that you may not have had the strength and tenacity to meet the challenges you would be faced with,” she said. “So, in fact, it was your final comment that showed me that you actually do meet the job spec. I have recommended you for the role. In fact, I think you are a breath of fresh air, which I don’t come across very often in this grey organisation.”

  Dorothy could bring herself to say nothing more than, “That’s great.”

  Nothing more was required. It seemed the deal was sealed. Catherine quickly changed the topic. “So tell me about those friends of yours,” she said. “Trent and Scott was it?”

  One month later…

  CHAPTER 7

  The Merger Journey

  After several more interviews with human resources and some very senior managers, Dorothy landed the role as a departmental manager. Catherine Lyons, with all her expertise in recruitment and knowledge of the business and the expectations for the role, was the perfect ally to assist her through the process.

  Catherine started joining Dorothy and the boys on Friday nights for the weekly wind-downs. It was a nice change for Dorothy to have another woman around. Socially, Catherine was very different from the person Dorothy had been attacked by in the meeting room the first time they met. She was charismatic yet approachable, highly intelligent, and had an instinct for people that was unrivalled.

  Over time the group learned that Catherine aspired to a career change from recruitment into organisational learning and development and that she had struggled for years to make the change become a reality. It had become a tradition now for Dorothy, Trent, Scott Crow and Tim Woods to coach and mentor each other, and it was no different with their new friend, Catherine Lyons. Together the five devised a plan, and Catherine got under way in taking the action needed to work toward her objectives.

  In the following months, Dorothy took to her new role with dedication and inspiration, making dramatic improvements in her department, affecting not only productivity but representing positive impact on the bottom line. She also enrolled in postgraduate studies in an MBA program. Little did she know that her efforts and successes were being noticed and noted by the people who mattered.

  Trent’s career, which had rapidly risen at first, had reached a plateau, much to his frustration. In his heart, however, he knew that it was important for him to solidify his skills and knowledge, establish himself in the role, and get some more ‘wins on the board’ before commencing the climb again.

  Scott Crow, despite his visually clumsy approach to business, was doing well. He was satisfied at this point with his career and was not looking to battle his way any further up the ladder. In recent times, he had taken a keen interest in politics. Often, in jest, he would claim that one day he might quit his job and run for a position in parliament.

  Tim Woods appeared content with his job, which was located close to home, and with his ability to spend more time with his daughter. In all the time that Dorothy, Trent, and Scott had known him, Tim had not been on a date. He claimed he was not interested as he still missed his wife terribly. Although Dorothy knew it was true he missed his wife, she knew that he was surely also missing the love and affection of a partner.

  After several months, it became apparent how valuable their small close-knit network had become. With Dorothy, Trent, Scott, and Catherine working in separate parts of the business, they were collecting organisational intelligence independently, which may not have meant too much on its own, but when brought together like a jigsaw puzzle revealed the big picture. Trent believed that The Firm was preparing to be acquired by another business. Tim added the final piece to the puzzle, as he had heard rumours that The Organisation that he worked for was planning to not only acquire The Firm but also to merge operations.

  Based on all the lessons learned from the past, each of the friends prepared for battle in his or her own way. The one common feature to their preparation was that they all wore their best armour to work every single day to proactively place themselves in their strongest position and brace themselves for what a merger may bring. Although the economic market had improved, the employment market was still tight, and not one of them wanted to be left out in the cold as a result.

  A few weeks later, and many months after Catherine’s plan for a career move was in place, Catherine was approached confidentially to form a panel of specialists to work on The Firm’s key talent list. She was given the responsibility to identify high potential and high performing employees in preparation for a potential acquisition and subsequent merger. This was the opportunity that Catherine had been planning and hoping for. Her recruitment experience and knowledge of the business and of many of the people within it had finally led to her working on an organisational development project. However, the opportunity was to be bittersweet, as much of what Catherine was to hear and learn was critically confidential, and she could, under no circumstance, disclose it to her closest of friends. Catherine resolved to do her utmost to protect them in any way she could in the important role she had been given.

  Eventually, it became public knowledge that The Firm was to be acquired by another organisation, and the operations were going to merge. For many employees, the stress on top of the pain that was still evident after The Firm’s recent downsizing was too much. Cynicism, resistance, and covert sabotage became apparent in pockets of the organisation. This reaction by employees simply made it easier for The Organisation to decide who to keep and who to let go. Thankfully ahead of the game, Dorothy and Trent had prepared themselves and their teams, and developed an arsenal of artillery that would hopefully see them through the battle and help them emerge, if not victorious, at least alive.

  Catherine Lyons soon learned that both Dorothy and Trent had been identified as high-potential talent and would be retained, but at this point she was not sure in what capacity. More troubling, however, was the discovery that Scott Crow’s business unit was to be eliminated altogether and none of the existing staff in his area would be retained. Unable to reveal what she knew to anyone, let alone tell her close friend that he was to be dramatically affected, Catherine was morally and ethically

  conflicted.

  One Friday afternoon, Dorothy called Catherine to confirm the night’s arrangements. “Are you bringing the sushi tonight, Catherine?” asked Dorothy.

  “Umm, about that,” Catherine hesitated, “I’m not sure I should come tonight.”

  “What do you mean ‘should’?” asked Dorothy, unaware of Catherine’s concerns.

  “I just don’t think I can, Dorothy. I mean, this merger and stuff,” Catherine replied as dismissively as she could.

  “Is there something we should know?” replied Dorothy.

  “Well, that’s just it. I can’t tell you guys what I know,” Catherine responded.

  Dorothy’s hair stood on end. “Is there something we should be worried about?”

  “Of course not. Well, not you or Trent anyway.”

  Immediately, Catherine realised she had said more than she should have, but she had only wanted to allay Dorothy’s unfounded fears. In fact, Catherine knew that Dorothy was to be appointed as a regional financial manager once The Organisation had absorbed The Firm into its operations.

  “Is it Scott?” Dorothy asked, her fear escalating.

  “If I tell you, Dorothy, you have to assure me you won’t tell anyone. Promise?” asked Catherine with a degree of trepidation.

  “What is it then, Catherine?” Dorothy asked.

  Catherine went on to explain the terrible situation and how Scott was surely going to lose his job.

  “There has to be something we can do,” exclaimed Dorothy. “We have to tell him!”

  “Dorothy, you promised. You can’t tell him,” said Catherine. “I’ll lose my job th
en too, and we won’t have helped anyone!”

  Catherine’s sudden aggressiveness snapped Dorothy from her idealistic thoughts.

  “But I have been thinking there might be a way to get Scott through this as unscathed as possible,” Catherine said. She began to outline a possible plan.

  There was a vacancy in Trent’s team, and although it would be a slight demotion for Scott, the position did fit his skill set. At the very least, the job would keep him safe until the merger took place. Convincing Trent to hire him would be the easy part. The trouble would be in trying to convince Scott to change jobs, for what to him on the surface would seem an unnecessary move.

  Enlisting Trent’s support, in confidence, they set about concocting a story. They decided the best approach would be for Trent to explain to Scott that he was needed for the vacant role in his team to ensure the team was fully competent and positioned as a strong team heading into the merge. It was not a bad move for Trent at all, as Scott had a great deal of knowledge about The Firm that Trent did not have. They made quite a formidable team. After some coaxing, coupled with a dash of Scott’s own intuition, Scott accepted the role without anyone ever noticing that intelligence had been leaked.

  As the acquisition and merge took place, Trent’s team was retained, with Scott on board. This was only temporary, however, until a full analysis had been done on the department’s viability and contribution to the overall business. What gave the friends their greatest pleasure, however, was the surprise of Dorothy’s promotion to regional financial manager.

  Despite the official office relocation of The Firm still to occur, one month later, after having missed several weeks of Friday night gatherings, the group of friends - Dorothy, Trent, Scott Crow, Tim Woods, and Catherine Lyons - came together to celebrate their survival. Regardless of the good news and her friends’ good spirits, Dorothy could not help but feel that things were not quite as they seemed, that something was waiting for them around the corner that they did not expect.

  Three months later…

  CHAPTER 8

  The Treacherous Buttercups

  Sitting at her new desk, in her new office, in a new building, Dorothy felt like a princess. She was perched high on her executive chair, devouring a delicious fruit salad that tasted as though the fruit had been picked fresh that morning.

  Her glass-enclosed private office was flooded with natural light from the easterly view she had of the park. During the last few weeks, she had really taken notice of the fact that now when she looked out the window and saw something other than concrete structures, she could actually sense the weather as the wind blew through the trees.

  Long gone was the grey Firm. The walls of the new organisation, although painted white, were decorated with bright and bold coloured artwork and furniture. The open-plan format meant she could see others at work and removed that feeling of isolation she always detested so much. Even the managers’ offices were completely visible as they were surrounded by clear glass.

  The artwork on the wall in her office was her favourite: a field of buttercups at sunrise, with the petals of the small yellow flowers extending to the distant horizon and the rays of the sun spraying lovingly across the field.

  The members of Dorothy’s new team were delightful. They were cheery, friendly, and welcoming toward her, their new manager. Although Dorothy had led project teams and worked as a supervisor and manager for many years, she found it quite a different experience to be managing an entire region. The team she was working with ensured a smooth transition for her. Consequently, Dorothy had forgotten all about her initial concerns.

  Trent and Scott were still working together, and there were no signs as yet that their department would be closed down. Both said they were so busy that they could not even imagine that their contribution to the business could be seen as anything but positive and profitable.

  Catherine had now successfully made the transition to an organisational development role. The experience and exposure she had gained in the acquisition and merger project ensured that she was in line for consideration when the position became available. Catherine was pleased that her friends were feeling positive about the outcome of the merger and the work environment of The Organisation. Unfortunately, however, she was unable to share in their joy. Although not appointed to work on the project directly, Catherine had heard within her department that there was some rapid change heading The Organisation’s way what exactly, she did not know. But that was not all Catherine and her friends had to worry

  about.

  Mid-afternoon one Wednesday, Tim Woods was asked to come to head office for a meeting. His security pass did not allow him access to the floor he was visiting, so he was required to wait in the lounge area of reception on the ground floor. It was a breezy day, and as the front doors of the office automatically opened for people to enter and exit, the wind scattered leaves and litter throughout the foyer. While patiently waiting, mesmerised by the tiny tornadoes of dirt and dust, Tim could not help but overhear the receptionist talking with another woman behind the white and stainless-steel reception desk.

  “Have you met that Dorothy yet, the regional financial manager?” asked the woman.

  “Of course, I see her come in here every morning. But I don’t often see her leave. She must work late,” replied the receptionist. Tim sensed a tone in the receptionist’s voice, but struggled to identify what might be behind it. The woman continued, “Yes, well, I’ve heard that her team thinks she is a….” Halfway through the sentence, at the critical moment, the door opened, the wind whistled, and the noise completely drowned out the two women’s voices. Tim continued to watch in the hope he could lip-read what was being said, but his meeting host had suddenly appeared out of the elevator bay and was summoning Tim to follow.

  As he walked past the receptionist and woman behind the desk, Tim noted their negative body language hands on hips, rolled eyes, furrowed brows, and pursed lips. Things did not look good for Dorothy, he thought.

  Tim did not have to be the one to break the bad news to Dorothy, however. The very same day, she discovered that her team’s friendliness and encouragement were simply a facade.

  Three weeks before, Dorothy had been asked to conduct a regional analysis and devise a quality-improvement plan to minimise waste and increase productivity. As she was so new in her role and keen to show her team that she valued their experience, she created a select project team to assist her. While she was explaining the objectives and delegating the tasks, each of the team members was enthusiastic to assist and get involved. They gave her a level of confidence she had rarely experienced before. Meeting several times during the three weeks, under Dorothy’s guidance, the team had promptly pulled together an impressive improvement plan, report, and presentation.

  That Wednesday, Dorothy was to deliver the report and presentation to her senior manager and the other regional finance managers from around the country, many of whom were remotely logging in for the monthly meeting. She was genuinely excited to present the body of work that she and her team had produced. As it was only her third meeting with her peers and manager, Dorothy desperately wanted to make a positive and lasting impression.

  Dorothy was scheduled to deliver the final presentation of the meeting. She was well prepared. Her team had printed and bound the reports and saved the presentation to USB for her. Knowing her supportive team had done this for her, she could sit in the meeting and focus her attention to the other presentations and contribute to the group discussion.

  During a break between presentations, Dorothy had an opportunity to take in her surroundings. The meeting room was inviting, with a perfectly formed boardroom-style table and comfortable chairs. One entire wall was custom-fitted wood cabinetry with secret doors and compartments disguising electrical equipment, training materials, a fridge, and catering supplies. The opposite wall was glass from top to bottom, revealing glimpses of the harbour. On the front wall was the obligatory white board, flip chart, and
projector screen, while behind her was a painting. Unlike the other pieces of bright and cheery artwork Dorothy had seen around the building, this one was different. Abstract in style, the image looked like what were once rolling hills of lush grass that had now been ravaged by fire. All that was left were smouldering bushes and ash, under an angry, hot summer sky. Dorothy was brought back to the job-at-hand by the commencement of the next presentation.

  When it was her turn to present, Dorothy stood and made her way to the laptop computer at the front of the room to load her presentation. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass windows a professional-looking woman dressed in a figure-hugging grey skirt suit and crisp white shirt with her hair swept neatly into a bun. This Dorothy was a stark contrast to the Dorothy that started her career as a wide-eyed graduate so many years ago, she thought.

  Having loaded the presentation, Dorothy picked up the remote control and made her way to the front of the room. She tugged at her skirt, cleared her throat, and began. The title slide itself was impressively designed and offered the perfect opportunity for Dorothy to provide an executive summary of the review process and the proposed improvement plan.

  The room of male peers appeared interested and alert, despite having already listened to so many other presentations. Attentive and sitting upright, they were keen to hear the rest of the presentation. Clicking the

  remote for the next slide, Dorothy continued her prepared

  speech, but noticed some puzzled looks on the faces of those around the table. Without turning around to see the screen, she could sense that what was being displayed was much brighter and lighter than what should have been a detailed colour graph. In fact, it was a blank

  screen.

  Confused but not perturbed, Dorothy commented that there must be a problem with the technology and clicked the remote again. The slide had transitioned, but only to reveal another blank white screen. The same thing happened again and again. Dorothy’s heart sank, and her mind raced to determine what could have happened and what plan of action she should take to save herself. Those attentive men were now glancing at each other with questioning looks and raised eyebrows.