Harnessing talent

Updating the Reverend Axe

Cynthia Axe managers our Early Bird Retirement Plan. She is a uni-lingual American who has been chosen least popular employee for 87 quarters straight.

The Reverend Oliver Axe, Cynthia's father, sent me postcard from Oklahoma, where Cynthia was born and where the Reverend Axe tends to his flock till today.

The Reverend Axe worries about Cynthia's "moral fibre"; this is a term Dad (Pierre Elliot)  never used. My Dad (Pierre Elliot)  was in the Royal Canadian Airforce, and not a preacher, thank god.

I wrote a very polite letter to the Reverend Axe that his little "petit choux" Cynthia, is executing her role well. 

However, I spared him the details of the text I received from CEO Stan today which read, "Gloria, did you harness the talent of young Ms Axe; please keep me abreast." 

I did not tell the Reverend Axe that recently, Cynthia received a new Blackberry Passport from Stan which stores lurid texts messages, as well as small, medium and big data.

I am not the worrying type, but when Stan uses terms like keeping abreast, or harness or Young Ms Cynthia Axe in one breath, I stop to think. I did not share these thoughts with the Reverend Axe.

I need to put this incident out of my mind. Luckily, I have so many texts to answer, that I do not think for too long. HR managers need to manage the contradiction between being, doing and thinking. I am pretty good at this; I just do.