Tag: manager

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When My Boss Was Murdered

Sometimes the unthinkable becomes reality and murder touches our lives.  It can hit us so unexpectedly that it’s like a sucker punch knocking us breathless. Such was the case with me in Roanoke, Virginia, in the wee cold hours of January 3, 1986.

When the phone rang at 4 a.m. that Friday morning I fumbled for it, still half asleep.  For a second I didn’t recognize the sobbing sounds coming from my boss’ secretary, Carolyn, on the other end of the line.  I had never heard her cry. She had always been such a cheerful person.  Then she stopped sobbing long enough to speak. “Wade, Tony is dead.” Continue reading “When My Boss Was Murdered”

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Perfect vs. Good Enough

It is tough to be a perfectionist in an imperfect world.

Several years ago, when I was a pizza restaurant manager, I had a problem.  I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted the restaurant to be spotless.  I wanted the pizzas to be made to spec.  I wanted the stock rotated so that the first in was the first out.  I wanted my employees to be on time, to be dressed according to the code, and to know their jobs.  I wanted smiles.

I wanted my customers to be happy, the bank deposit to be made on time, and the produce to arrive when it should. In short, I sweated the details because I was a perfectionist.  But that’s a good thing, right?  Maybe not so much.  That year my staff had a birthday surprise for me when they presented me with a gift.  I unwrapped the long slender package and inside was a riding crop. They were only half-kidding. Continue reading “Perfect vs. Good Enough”