Assumptions...I Was Wrong!

I was recently offered a new position within the company, which I have chosen to accept. It's an exciting opportunity that will make better use of my educational background and talents. And another plus - I will be responsible for a MUCH smaller staff.

In my current position, I'm responsible for multiple departments, supervisors, and their staffs. As a result, I pass the majority of my day tending to their needs and putting out fires...very little time spent on otherwise stimulating projects.

Before I can make the big move, my position needs to be filled. It's been determined that none of the supervisors under me have the management experience necessary, so our HR department would like to see someone from another area of management move into my role.

At our HR manager's request, I prepared a short presentation on what I do...which I was to present to a group of managers that she had rounded up. I assumed (and yes, I understand the dangers of assumption) that these managers knew why they were at this meeting and were, in fact, interested in my position. Only after I finished my presentation and worked my way through an awkward Q & A, dominated mainly by blank stares, did I realize that these managers had not been told prior to the meeting why they had been asked to come.

After I finished my talk, our HR manager stepped in and offered more explanation as to why they, specifically, had been chosen to attend. Instead of the interest and energy that I hoped this opportunity would generate (again, a hope that was based on the assumption that these people were interested in the job), there was an overwhelming sense of distress. While I don't think our HR manager intended it, the interpretation by most was that if someone from the group didn't step forward to fill the position, someone would basically be plucked.

Well, this should be interesting.