Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Against The Wind

The heading is taken from the Bob Seger song, in which he says

“Well those drifters days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind
I’m still runnin against the wind
Well I’m older now and still
against the wind “

Having worked in the Government for all these years, I have had good Managers and poor Managers.
My present Manager is one of the terrific ones. Yes, he has his faults, but he is a “people” person and knows the art of politics. His often says “I guide people, but I manage things”. Well, he dropped the bombshell in a meeting yesterday afternoon, with a simple statement that he will be retiring within a year.
All ten of us in the Department are dumbstruck and walking around like zombies.
We are running against the wind.
When a high ranking Head of a Department (HD) retires in the Government, they are often replaced with an appointee with his/her own political agenda. So we know that after he leaves, we will not be treated with the fairness that we have enjoyed in the past.
We will not be shielded from the political masters, to which we serve, although the axiom in our Department is that our clients are the taxpayers of this country.

As Bob Seger says in his song:

“Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searchin
Searching for shelter again and again
Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind”

I am still running against the wind.

Walk Good

5 comments:

Crankyputz said...

So hard to leave a great boss, as the years have gone by I have to come to realise that having great leadership is as important as doing meaningful work.

Bongo said...

for everything there is an end .. but only good things stuck in our memory ..
however those good things end faster unfortunately lol

hope you'd have a great boss as that one ..

Unknown said...

Loosing a great manager is always a sad experience, because great managers are scarce. I've only had one decent one in my 7 years of work.

Morpheus Rablings said...

@Crankyputz
You are so right, thanks for your support.

@Bongo
Thanks

@Stunner
We will continue to strive for perfection, in an imperfect world. Thanks for your input.

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID said...

I have walked that mile several times in recent years.Know what you are going through, Star. Nuff respect!!Incidentally,I love the song, it is one of my favourite!!