Bad news helps me get promoted after CEO is impressed

I am still reeling from the mid-year review discussion. Ever since that day, a number of my colleagues have come  to me and offered different interpretations of my actions.

One guy in risk came and told me, “you need to look for a new job, you are definitely  a renegade for sharing  bad news.” I faked laughter and told her, “oh well, finance people must always tell the truth or else we shall have scandals.”

Someone else told me how I should have “relayed the news in private, not in public”.

One of the things I have learnt  to live with is how people have varying views and they always get upset when one does not take their views.

Just as I was agonising about what to do, the chief executive’s secretary called me and said, “Boss wants to see you  now.” 

I dropped everything I was doing and dashed to the CEO’s office. My heart was racing and a part of me was thinking, “this is bad, this guy is going to sack me.”

I was completely stunned when the chief executive gave me a wide smile and said, “Josphat! You are the man!” I  must have looked confused for he said, “no need to worry. You are not in trouble”.

Since the  CEO likes to hear himself talk, I knew that the best thing to do was to let him speak.

He went on to  applaud me, “for my guts in communicating bad news. Clearly that training I sent you for worked”.

I could not help  myself I said, “but boss,  I feel somewhat embarrassed for ambushing you with such news in a leadership meeting.”

Jolly mood

He told me not to worry, “I of course wished you had shared the slides with me, but I am happy that you communicated the news to the team”.

He continued: “I have been trying to get the various managers to give me the real picture of what is happening but most of them sugarcoat it, but you told me as is it  is.”

This was good news, yet I remained somewhat skeptical that the bad news was around the corner. 

He was in a jolly mood and went on to tell me, “now listen here is what I want you to do. I want you to take the finance manager job and to always tell me what is going on. You will be my eyes and ears”.

What essentially the boss was asking me is to be his snitch and to do his bidding. Since he was feeling positive about me, I decided to make my request know.
“ Sir, the challenge I have with the finance job is that there is no salary increase yet it will involve lots of work for me.”

I must say the chief executive was either being honest or was being a good actor for he said, “What nonsense. This HR people sometimes are such a road block.” Even before I could chime in, he  reached out for his phone and told his personal assistant, “Call the  HR manager”. 

This turn of events was really shocking me  and I just sat there quite mute, saying nothing.

Good pay package

This silence just gave the chief executive room to talk about himself as usual and to show me photos of his daughter’s graduation — while also telling me about how much he had paid in school fees and how expensive it was “to fly the entire family business class”.

The HR manager came in looking rather breathless but also managing  to look meek as she asked the boss, “what can I do for you sir?”
He went on to tell her how my ‘“issue needs to be sorted as soon as possible.”

She said: “Sir, we are looking at doing interviews before we settle on anyone.”

He said: “That is utter nonsense. You know he is the man for the job. Stop this procrastination. Give him the letter, and a good pay package. I need to sign on it before I leave.”

The HR manager had no choice but to rush to her desk and sort things out. Theboss  kept on talking about his vision for finance. All the while I kept thinking, “what has just happened here?”