4. Understanding …

Reminded me of a situation back in September of ’96 where I too was the one saying No, tendering my resignation and leaving Motorola to begin a new life in the USA.

The Director of IT wanted to meet with me regarding my decision and honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect. Human Nature tells you to maybe expect a little of both #1 and #2 above, but that was not how things transpired.

He opened by congratulating me then proceeded to tell me that he wasn’t going to try and change my mind, wasn’t going to dig deep and wasn’t going to offer me options on the spot. He said he’d wished I’d come to him sooner and let him know what I was considering, then maybe we could have walked through the decision together. He understood that my mind was already made up.

In most organizations I’m not sure how well that would have played out, approaching Management telling them you’re considering other options. He actively listened to me, showed a tremendous amount of understanding and supported my decision. I have never forgotten that conversation.

So, perhaps there is a fourth reaction we can add to the list above — Understanding.

Around seven months later I found myself back working at Motorola (in the States) again, in part because of that conversation. I wanted to be around people like him and work in a company with those same values.

This October I will have completed my nineteenth year of Service at Motorola and I remind myself every day — it’s great to be back.