Two Birds With One Stone

Bob was a buyer in the graphic arts section of the purchasing department of one of the nation’s largest magazine publishers. This company produced monthly publications for nearly every business category. And the graphic arts section, with 36 employees, was responsible for more individual and complex purchases than any other section.

When the director of the entire purchasing department announced his retirement, Steve, the graphic arts supervisor was named to replace him. That set off a scramble for Steve’s position, and Bob and the other buyers all postured for the promotion to supervisor.

Since Bob was the “go to” guy in the section, with the most knowledge of graphics production, he was considered a shoo-in for the promotion. He was the most efficient order processor in the entire purchasing department, and was respected and well liked by the vendors.

The retiring director however, was not a fan of Bob. Even though he was a lame duck executive, about to depart the company, he expressed his negative concerns to Steve and the other supervisors in a meeting. He explained that Bob was a maverick and didn’t really fit in with the corporate culture of the company. He made decisions without approval from above, and his productivity was so high, that he couldn’t possibly be thorough.

Steve, the incoming director defended Bob by pointing out that Bob’s annual review was always among the highest in the department, his decisions consistently saved the company money, and he rarely made an error.

Within the next two weeks the landscape changed in Purchasing. The director retired. He was replaced by a different supervisor. Steve resigned in protest. And Bob was advised to seek other employment, as he was no longer needed in this department.

Patrick516