As with all articles in this blog, the following are based on real events. Some details are however altered to hide the identity of those involved as it is not the person I am talking about (be it good or bad) but the lesson(s) to be gained from these events.
Case 1: The Director for Security of a multinational company was fired and within weeks the Managing Director of the same company was replaced. Rumour has it that these senior management staff was caught colluding to falsify some data when reporting to HQ. About a year letter, I happen to meet this Managing Director and our conversation lead to an opportunity for me to ask about the event that lead to him leaving that multinational company. His story makes sense and very believable. From what I know of him, his story is very creditable. Turns out the way security personal search an operator suspected of stealing inappropriately and that caused the Director of Security his job. Taking responsibility of the whole sorry sequence of events the Managing Director left his job. So he is really not as bad as many of us thought he was. Or is he?
Case 2: A head of a department (HOD) was the project manager of a very successful project. This project team has made many breakthrough and won numerous awards. It is also very clear that the success of this team is very much due to this HOD. So successful, a video was made of this team. When the production team talked to the founding pioneers of this team it seems that this team's initial project was approved not by this HOD but by a somewhat gung-ho staff of the department. It was also learned that back at the time this project team started, this HOD was fairly upset that the project which costs at least 25 times the usual costs of a similar project was approved without first consulting him. Though this HOD never openly blame this staff, his action at the time did suggest that he was not happy and that he wanted this staff to continue to taking charge of the project. Which he did. This staff personally paid for the purchase and claimed it from the company upon completion of the project. In a way, transferring the risk of the project to himself personally. As the project was a success, this became the HOD's project and the staff backed off. The official story from the HOD is that he has always been supportive of the whole thing from day one. So the facade we see can hide the mess behind it.
The story behind the split between Adolf and Rudolf Dassler forming Adidas and Puma overnight is yet another example. We really do not know what is the real reason for the split. If Rolf-herbert Peters' book "The Puma Story: The Remarkable Turnaround of an Endangered Species into One of the World's Hottest Sportlifestyle Brands" is credible, then the good guy may not really be the good guy and the bad guy may not really be the bad guy and someone else may be the cause of it after all.
What I am trying to say is this. I was once informed of the background story related to some people movement involving a number of organisations. As it was the talk everyone was talking about I noticed that one person, let's call him Greg, was fairly quiet! Not only quiet, Greg would avoid any discussion anywhere near the topic - awkwardly at times. Later, after the dust has settled, I learned from Greg the other side of the story. Withholding some key information, a story can make someone a hero and another a villain. When the whole information is put together the hero is not quiet the hero you think he/she is and the villain is not the villain you think he/she is. Accordingly, whenever you are told a behind the scene story, don't be a gullible fool like me. Take it with a pinch of salt and remind yourself that the other side of the coin could be very different.
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