I am not generally one who wishes to be demanding. I have needs, and the company has needs. That's just how it works in the real world. The key to making the union of employee and employer work is arriving somewhere in the middle.
On the wall in my office I hang a sign that reads, "Sometimes the best person to have on your side is one who will not always be on your side."
What that means is pretty simple. You can either have a guy who simply maintains the status quo and always vies for your approval without regard for the best interests of the company, or one who stands up and argues why he thinks things could be better.
That guy is one who does it not simply to lodge complaints—depending on how it is done. He is one who has a genuine interest in the success of the company, and is genuinely concerned when things are not happening that will benefit the company and help to make it more productive and successful.
Simply put, you want a guy in your corner who gives a shit enough to risk his own livelihood to speak up when things are going wrong. You can either listen and make positive change. Or you can power trip and fail on your own.
Eventually that guy will just determine his concern is a lost cause, and he'll just move on. Because he knows his future is determined by the future of the company he works for.
I want to say that I think you do actually get it. I can see that by the effort you are making on my behalf. I think that you do believe that I give a shit. That shows in your actions. I want to say that I do think that you believe I am valuable. And that shows in your urgency.
My aim is not to tell you what you need to do to make your business work. My aim is to tell you what you need to do to make me continue to want to be in business with you.
The bottom line is that I do value what I do. I do value the opportunities that my job has provided. I have worked for a lot of places, and I value this job perhaps more than any other job I have had in the past. My aim is to stick around for as long as I can to see what's next. To see what other opportunities can present themselves. I value that I am largely in control of my own destiny with your company, and I value that as perhaps one of the greatest opportunities I have ever had with any other employer to be mostly in charge of my own destiny and success.
That presents something to me that is very difficult to simply walk away from.
As we have been presented with some challenges recently with the departure of our warehouse guy, of course I have been more difficult. I have laid down the law on my end and made ultimatums, directly or indirectly. They are not actions that I have taken to basically tell you, "It's my way or the highway," or to wield power over you and your decisions. They are not actions intended to undermine your own authority or position within the company. They are not actions to put you into a position that is not of your own design or decision.
It is quite simply a proposal. It is a meeting of the minds. It is a mutual understanding between you and I that determines what it is that best meets each of our own goals and objectives, needs, and wants individually.
Quite simply put, if I thought for a minute that you did not value my contribution you would tell me to simply "pound sand," let me go, and move on to the next challenge.
You have not done that. Instead, you have listened to my concerns, and you have been proactive in letting me know what your intentions are. You have listened to my "demands," and have taken action on them. In a nutshell, you have not told me to pound sand.
I know exactly where I stand, and you know exactly where I stand, and I think this a very productive place to be despite its obvious "discomfort."
Neither one us wants our backs to be up against a wall. But here we are. I think that both you and I have been able to deal with this situation with respect, and cooperation, and mutual understanding of where we are, what our interests are, and what our needs are.
We are both fully aware of the consequences of what we decide together, and what the back end of that looks like. I think we are also both fully prepared to take on those challenges as they arise.
Neither one of us are dummies. We will figure it out. But we also know what is best for us and our personal interests right now. And maybe even into the future. I know you can make money for me. And I know I can make money for you. The question now is "how do we keep that going?" How do we find the solution we need to not slow down that process, or lose the opportunity?
I am saying that I appreciate the effort that you are making to keep me onboard. Despite my demands. Despite my ultimatums. Despite my appearance of wielding power over the situation.
This certainly does weigh heavily on whatever decision I ultimately make. It weighs heavily on what I am willing to do, and for how long. It weighs heavily on the contribution to the current situation that I am willing to offer. It weighs heavily on what I am willing to do until a solution is determined, and how committed I am to doing that.
I may be a lot of things, and at times I may be an asshole about it. But at the end of the day I do recognize who has my back. And if you have my back, and I think that is genuine? You can rest assured I will also have your back, and will stop at nothing to ensure that.
As I said before, I am not placing demands. I am simply looking to find that common ground and understanding so that we can both continue to succeed together. If we can do that...
We both come out winners. And what I am basically telling you is that if we can make it happen so that we both can win together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish, and all of the strife in between can be productive strife that we can all succeed with in the end.
I don't know if I've missed something, but are you quitting your job or not?