Page 151 - MY STORY

In meetings, we could never get two words out before

George would interrupt with his version of life as he
envisioned it and proceeded to hog the discussion to make
sure we understood his “incredible capabilities” which in

reality did not exist.

One of my biggest jobs was to avoid any interactions with

George and, more importantly, act as a barrier between
George and the people in my organization, which took
time, effort, and created a high level of frustration on my

part. The good news is that I never lost my cool with
George.

On the positive side, George did have one redeeming
capability that I was able to learn from and use effectively.
When he had to attend any meeting that required a

decision from management in a competitive environment
– for instance getting approvals for the expenditure of

major capital funds for a new electron microscope, or a
major initiative funded from sparse internal R&D funds,
George made sure that he was so well infused with

knowledge that any negative arguments or competition
from others could be tamped down instantly with his
superior knowledge taught him by our subject matter

experts. He was indeed “smooth.”