Forgiveness

Have you ever been told to hire a director to report to you, and then find out later that he’s meant to take your role and you report to him?

It happened to me. And I also unknowingly did the same thing to my first employee before it happened to me.

It was a non-profit and I was hired by a Corporate CEO (venture philanthropist), and he told me to go make an offer the very next day to the first program director who was already interviewed by the board. Jack, the soon-to-be program director met me for lunch and he wasn’t all too friendly at first sight.

I was naive enough to think that maybe he was a little put off by my inexperience in running a non-profit. He ended up taking the position and we are still friends today. During our time together at the organization, it eventually came out that he was initially told he’d have my job (he was interviewing for the CEO position before I came into the picture) and suddenly he was talking to the new CEO, me. I had no idea. I really felt terrible. It all worked out, especially when we realized we were a great team.

Four years later, I had a falling out with our boss at the organization. Not long after, here comes Randy, whom I’m told to meet about a new position as local Executive Director, and I would run the National chapter. I wasn’t sure what to make of this guy who, now in hindsight, probably talked too much and seemed agitated because he didn’t know how to tell me he was taking my job. At the time, I just thought he was nice, but sort of a shady character, especially when he finally just blurted it out in the most inappropriate manner that he was being hired to take my job, and I would report to him.

We immediately parted ways in 2004, and I’ve seen Randy several times over the past year at a leadership breakfast. In fact, just yesterday, we even hugged as a greeting, and he introduced me to his son to hear the CEO of a large retail brand speak at the breakfast. Funny how paths cross, and time heals wounds. I suppose what goes around, comes around. I took Jack’s job. Randy did it to me. And sadly, Randy’s Program Director took his job away. I guess the cycle continues with our former boss and his conniving ways.

Sometimes it’s easy to target the messenger, and in this case, I’m glad that we can shake hands and move on. Life is too short to harbor anger or bad feelings.