More problems and coincidences

This time I wrote a memo to Darth, with copies to Carl and Buzz about the direction of the research in the laboratory. If nothing else, I hoped the memo would lead to discussions to resolve the differences between Buzz and me, and it would document the problem.

The response was totally unexpected. First, when the memo was circulated, Darth was out of town and he did not immediately see it. Second, Jay Wells came into my office and told me that Carl had showed him the memo. He proceeded for about one hour to tell me how wrong I was in issuing the memo and what a bad move it was to do that. Had I been aware at that point of what was really going on, I would have thrown him out of my office, but I was not to become totally aware of the scope of things until several months later.

The next morning Carl called me in his office and “discussed” the problem with me. He defended Buzz and then said it would be best if “we” removed the memo from
Darth's desk and not say anything more about the subject. In other words, I was to live with the problem. I said I wanted Darth to see the memo, and did not see any reason for bringing Jay into the discussion. Carl had no explanation for his behavior.

That afternoon, Carl came back into my office and in a toned down manner told me again how wrong I was in writing the memo and that I could still save myself by not letting Darth see it. I still said no. Finally, late in the afternoon I saw Carl in the hall and he said, “Oh, I did you a favor, I took your memo off Darth's desk.”

Before I could say anything he continued on his way. I had been beaten again, but since Carl was now an executive in the company, I felt I had accomplished my purpose of documenting Buzz's behavior. Darth, officially never did see the memo. All of this was farcical because all I had tried to do was follow the exact procedure to start an investigation into firing a person that Darth had outlined at one of the meetings.

After I sent out the memo about Buzz's behavior, he refused to talk to me and he would literally run away from me when I approached him to discuss anything. He maintained this behavior for a period of better than two weeks and then eventually he began talking to me again.

During the April/May time period, the coincidences at Gamma were becoming more
frequent and broader in their scope. On example which really bothered me involved a sales representative who sold computer printout paper to Gamma Supplies. Pete Dini had worked as a sales representative for a computer company before he struck out on his own selling peripheral material needed in computer operations. Gamma Supplies was an important customer to his fledgling operation, and he had befriended Gamma Supplies' computer programmer, Dave Lipton. It was through Dave that I had first met Pete.

One evening after work, I stopped at the Full Sails by myself for a drink. I ran into Pete and we discussed work and my overall impression of Gamma Supplies. I told Pete I thought Gamma had a good future, but I was concerned because all the managers were young and seemed to lack good business acumen.We concluded our conversation and I thought no more of it.

About a week later, Darth stopped by my office and requested that I attend a sales management meeting that was to be held a couple of days hence. I really wasn't interested, but Darth was persistent and insisted that I attend.

I reluctantly attended the meeting and was sitting there thoroughly bored when out of the blue, Darth started talking about what some people were saying about Gamma Supplies. He then went on to say that some people thought that Gamma Supplies'managers were young and lacked good business acumen. Not only did he express the thought I had relayed to Pete at the Full Sail, but he used the same words verbatim! I sat there almost in a state of shock. To express the same thought was one thing, but to use the exact same words was mind boggling. Darth's insistence that I attend the meeting followed by his regurgitating my exact words was mind boggling. Also, "business acumen" is just not the type of language or expression that I would have expected Darth to use. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to be a true coincidence. I listened intently the rest of the meeting, but nothing else unusual occurred.