While attending a sales meeting on the West Coast, one of the materiel managers was very rude as he asked me a question: Where do you live?
Of course, my answer was generic, stating we live in the country, on a farm, surrounded by other farms, where people can meander their way to each other’s homes without calling in advance and where the doors are never locked.
One case in point, coming home from a difficult trip, I found a note on the counter letting me know one of the neighbors had borrowed a couple of eggs from the refrigerator and she would be around to paying me back later in the week. No nonsense, just a matter of fact. She needed the eggs, and the closest food store is 18 miles away. It’s more convenient to drive one mile to the neighbors’ home and borrow an item needed for a meal, than driving 36 miles round trip for just a couple of eggs.
He, of course, being from a ritzy neighborhood on the West Coast, could not understand the premise about neighbors and how close we are to one another and how ready we are to help one another.
Next question from this absolutely dim-witted manager: “so, where do you go eat?” By now, I’m ready to punch him in the face and find another place at the table away from him. My answer was simple: “at home”.
The answer floored him. After this questioning, he no longer was interested in my way of life, my domicile, or how I got to the airport week after week. He could not understand we actually cook at home.
This was prior to cell phone service, and fax machines were a new thing in the office. In order to log appointments, projects and sales orders, we needed better communication, and the facsimile machine was a wonderful advancement at the time.
My office budget allowed for the fax machine expense, and I was ready to be professionally upgraded; called the office supply sales rep and ordered a machine, the telephone company for an extra phone line and new business cards needed to be printed.
All in all, the expenses climbed with two phone lines, extra paper, printer’s cost, etc. but we were on the road to progress. With all of it combined, there was no need to spend time and money for stamps at the post office, as the latest innovations brought by the fax machine were received with pleasure.
However, all the deadlines were shortened, immediate response was required by all and last-minute requests by lazy managers increased the pressure to have reports faxed instead of mailed.
On my way to the airport to catch a plane, I called to retrieve messages only to find out the end of the month report had been changed to TODAY! The marketing manager had neglected to communicate the urgency the week before and there was no possible way for me to have the report ready because of travel arrangements; he suggested I would be severely penalized if my report was not on his desk by the end of the day.
It wasn’t and I’m still here.
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