Retiring From The Cog Machine Where Leadership Makes it Easy
Van’s Goodbye to Dalton Co.
After 37 years the time had come to retire. Who knew time could actually fly and drop you off here. Not alone, but not completely surrounded by your life either.
Routines were going to change, time was going to feel overly available. Imagining filling the time with things of his choice was coming more easily than Van anticipated.
He was looking forward to spending long uncontested hours making the kitchen cabinets for his new home. Carpentry was his first love before he met his wife. Dalton Co. offered a steady income to financially support his family. Over time carpentry had turned into more of a once in a while hobby.
“We’ll all miss you Van, the office won’t be the same without you or your wife’s freshly baked cookies.”
Looking down at the cake in front of him, Van sighed,
“Well I’ll miss her cookies too, in fact I miss them everyday!”
Searching the crowd for his face, Van smiled to relieve Justin of his inconsiderate comment. Van knew he shouldn’t have taken offense but he did. He missed his wife dearly. He wouldn’t have survived working there for all those years without her. When she passed last year it was a shock to his system.
Without her encouragement he found the management culture unbearable.
Employees were like faceless workhorses tasked with more and more for the same pay every year. The annual bonuses felt insulting for the missed dinners and stress from work. Work seemed like too high a price to pay for money. Thinking of this made the place easy to leave behind.
“It’s ok Justin, this is a large company and I’d be gobsmacked if you got every detail right. I’m very grateful to Dalton for a wonderful 37 years but I’m happy to say goodbye to be honest. It’s time for me to close this chapter and make my lemonade while the sun still shines.”
Standing in the lunch room for the last time with all his co-workers he realized he would miss their familiar faces and conversations.
One by one they came over to say their goodbyes and best wishes. He’d seen so many people come and go over the years he knew what to expect. Still this felt surreal. His last day in an office, as an employee.
Justin felt terrible for his faux pas. He didn’t know Van really well so he thought mentioning the cookies was a good idea. He was so embarrassed by the thoughtless moment. It lingered and he couldn’t come up with one of his tip of the tongue platitudes to fix it.
Shifting his pant waist around he scratched his head and walked back to his office. When he took the job 5 years ago he didn’t really have the credentials.
Van was a reliable resource that seemed to make the place work. His manager always turned to him in a crisis, which seemed to come up often.
One morning, Justin and Van came in at the same time and Van told him about his wife’s cookies. When he offered him one it was still warm and he remembered it was his favorite, Snickerdoodle. He liked it so much he had another.
Since that time, the company’s profits were down. He didn’t mean to be so slipshod in saying goodbye but he had bigger fish to fry. As the employee with the highest salary he’d probably be “the first area of change.” His lawyer was reviewing a copy of his employment agreement to make a case for bonuses owed. He expected their shark tank negotiations to be brutal.
He needed the bonus to close on his vacation property in Nantucket so he wanted to have all his bases covered.
Looking up from his computer he saw Van walking by, he gestured for him to come in and got up to greet him.
“Van, I’m really sorry about that boneheaded comment. I know Saddie meant the world to you” he reached his hand out to Van’s shoulder.
“Thanks Justin, don’t feel bad, I won’t hold it against you! I’m glad you remembered her cookies,” Van laughed to set his Director at ease.
“Question for you, which agency did you use to find people for your team? Surprise, surprise, we’re struggling to find your replacement!”
“Yes, I used Rock Point Search quite a bit, I’ll send you their details when I get home.”
“Thanks, I hope you enjoy your retirement, who knows, I might be joining you on the outside soon!”
“Oh no, sorry to hear that, things seem to be hitting the fan around here. Hang in there, you’ll land on your feet!”
Van hadn’t met a rich man who didn’t land softly when these things happened.
Appreciating the irony of their similar fate, they shook hands. The simple fact was, they were just cogs in the machine of work. New cogs would take their place and the work would get done.
Van felt the sting of the reality of not being special as he walked away. Recognizing how much time he’d spent there over such a huge chunk of his life gave him mixed feelings.
Now he wondered, if he had a do over, would he work there again?
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