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In This
Issue...
 Angels With
Rotary Wings
Reality
Mirrors Movie
Mentoring
Aikido
Stop The
Merry-Go-Round
Features...
Peter Block Column
Views for a
Change
Pageturners
Briefcases
Diary of a
Shutdown
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Sorry We're Closed : Diary
of Shutdown
Elizabeth Hill, some might
say, had it all. Glowing performance reviews, respect from
her peers and superiors—in short, she was a golden
girl. But on December 2 of last year, her world and that of
hundreds of her coworkers came crashing down. The facility
was closing. Stunned, wounded and desperately trying to
make sense of the decision, Hill began a diary which is
excerpted here. Elizabeth Hill is not her real name and the
names of the characters you meet here have also been
changed. But her story is real—in its authenticity
and its expression of what happens when an organization
amputates itself. Elizabeth Hill is allowing News for a
Change to follow her, via her journal, for the next months
through to the completed shutdown. A journey many of our
readers have taken and many may have to take in the new
economy. Our hope is that through Elizabeth’s eyes
the journey might somehow make sense or at least assuage
the turmoil, helplessness and anxiety one is bound to face
in similar situations.
December
9
To celebrate Dan’s leaving, Marilyn brought in a huge
chocolate cake. We sat around for a while, ate, drank
coffee and signed Dan’s card. He is so happy he can
barely wait to leave, so I joke, “It’s not too
late, Dan, you can still change your mind.”
ssTo
my surprise, he chokes up, “Elizabeth, this is the
hardest. I feel like I’m leaving my
home.”
ssLate that night, I
interviewed with the vice president of operations from a
high-tech, start-up company in Phoenix over the phone.
During the conversation I learn a new phrase when I marvel
at the fiber-optic filters that they have invented and he
responds, “No, we’re well past leading edge,
we’re bleeding edge.”
December 10
I hate Fridays. I hate Fridays because everybody
leaves.
ssA
colleague writes me: “The best comes on Fridays, when
the office is empty. That’s how teachers feel when
students go off after graduation to a new life and the
teachers are left behind with the old
life.”
December
13
The recruiter for the Phoenix tech firm calls me back to
discuss a start date.
ss“I’m afraid that
this may be a deal breaker, Elizabeth, and I’d hate
to see you miss out on this.” He continues,
“But the CEO is telling me that they need to
quadruple production rates by May. How about considering
working a little at both jobs, part time and just flying
back and forth?”
ssHe
doesn’t consider that I have a son in school, a house
to sell and move, much less a life to enjoy at some
point.
ssHe
keeps on, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,
Elizabeth.”
December
14
The place in Phoenix offered me a job! Twenty percent over
what I make right now, full relocation and 8,000 shares of
pre-IPO stock. Cool!
ssI
won’t take it because they want me to move next month
and that’s too soon. I want to get my son through
school, have some vacation time with him and myself and
then start work. But it was great to get an offer this
soon. I take it as a good sign of things to
come.
December
15
I called the recruiter and turned down the Phoenix offer,
again.
ssHe
called me back to make sure, “Elizabeth, you’re
breaking my heart!”
December
17
Frank Page has accepted a job transfer with the company.
This company has continuously low-balled these guys and I
guess the strategy is working because they are all
accepting the offers.
ssIt
makes me mad to see the company, and the managers,
deliberately taking advantage of his fear, but at this
point it is just a drop in the bucket of blood.
December
22
The day starts with a staff meeting. Paul is doggedly
enthusiastic with an air of desperation.
ssPaul urges us,
“Don’t go out like, ‘Thank God
that’s over!’ No way! Let’s finish
strong!
ssWe
all want good memories of this place, so one day we can
look back and remember how things were.”
ssHe
continues. “OK, so a few announcements: Security has
been enhanced with small cameras and sensing devices to
prevent increased pilferage. I’m sure this is not
from anyone who works here, but a lot of things are
missing.”
ssI
wonder, Paul, who else would it be?
ss“And remember, just
about everything is for sale, anyway. You can get a
computer for $40.”
ssAt
this seemingly innocent comment, Allison next to me gets
irritated and whispers,
ss“Forty bucks? Hey, no
fair, mine cost $75!”
ssWarren Aiken, product
manager from SC23, starts his report beaming and nervously
jingling pocket change, “Well, first of all, I want
to send out a big thanks to all of you who have worked so
hard to keep me from looking like an idiot. Really. I
can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
ssAt
this point I have to decide if I’m going to heckle or
not. I keep quiet, a credit to my upbringing.
December
29
I show up for my interview at the sister site and I am
surprised that it is a panel interview and that they
already ate lunch. Dick Truman starts with his speech
describing the position, which sounds like he has said it
about 20 times already. He drones, “So, as you can
see, we placed this position at this high level because we
want real leadership, not pleadership.” This new
lingo catches my imagination, so I interrupt, “And
hopefully not bleedership!”
They start into their list of questions, most of which have
six parts. “Tell us about a time where you worked
with a team to improve productivity, who was on the team,
how long did it take, what were the obstacles and what were
the results?”
ss“OK, that’s a
really long question!”
ss“Yes, it’s also
a memory test.”
ssI
laugh and start talking. They look a little dazed at the
end of the story, so I explain,
ss“Hey, I figure I have
to make the answer at least as long as the
question.”
ssI
have an hour break and then I am on the factory tour when
Roland St. John and Dick Truman ask if they can talk to me.
We sit down in a conference room and Dick explains,
“Well, you can probably guess what we are going to
say.
ss“We are unanimous in
our decision that you are the one, Elizabeth. It
wasn’t even close. You could take us to the next
level and now I’m going into my hard-sell mode
because I want you on board.”
ssI
explain that I appreciate their decisiveness, but that I am
off-guard because I’ve never received a job offer the
same day of the interview.
ss“The important thing
is that we keep you with the company, that is our priority.
This company needs you.”
ssI
jump at this, “Well, funny that you would put it like
this. I have seen the worst side of this company this year
since the shutdown was announced and it’s hard for me
to believe that the company wants or needs me.”
ssThey seem taken aback, so I
continue, “Look, I like you guys, so it’s not
about that. But from a corporate perspective, let’s
take a look. I’m doing two guys’ jobs that got
offers with the company and moved with no notice. I have
broken their production records, and yet, I was never
promoted and I am still titled ‘acting
manager.’ It comes down to simple things, too. I was
assured that I could continue my professional development
throughout this year and that was one of the reasons that I
agreed to stay. But last month, they refused to pay $700
for a two-day seminar, and that was after I already paid
$150 for books.”
ssWhile I’m talking I
realize that I don’t know the pay level, relocation,
benefits for the position, but my interview training taught
me to never bring up the subject first. So, I tell them
that I’ll think about it and I go home, with my head
spinning slightly.
January
3
The relocation office calls me twice to arrange my move
details.
ssWe
get the notification of our 4.5 percent salary increase
which is effective plant-wide.
January
6
Frank, Jill and I have a heart-to-heart-to-heart talk at
the end of the day. We have to own up to the reality that
we won’t finish production by the shutdown date as we
had originally planned. We look at everything but there is
really no hope. We have material shortages, high-failure
rates, test equipment breaking down and people leaving.
Basically, we’re short everything. This is hard for
me to look at but if we’re not going to make it, I
have to make the call.
January
10
The staff meeting is weirdly funny today—everything
seems to strike us as funny. Karl announces:
ss- The
lab still has a bunch of hazardous material that has not
been cleaned up yet; they are delinquent on their
plan;
ss- The
library give-away went well; almost 60 percent of the
material was taken out. If anybody wants anything else,
just go and get it. There are plenty of videos with Drew
& Mark (CEO and COO) left
over,
ss- Three companies have
submitted offers for the site. The offers are $6 million,
$18.5 million and $21 million. The transition model
estimated that the price would be $23 million.
January
13
I walked into the meeting room and they must have heard my
topic ahead of time because it was standing room
only.
ssIn
a nutshell, we won’t complete by the end. Admitting
failure is bad enough, but then to answer the idiotic
questions that ensue is more than I was up for this
morning. When Ray asked, “So, now that the rate has
slowed down, are people sitting back and twiddling their
thumbs?” I answered, “That is a really stupid
question. I can’t even believe that you asked it.
Heck yea, we sit back all day long and do nothing but
twiddle our thumbs. It’s what we live for. Now, any
more questions?”
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