OMG...They Are Asking For Me Again!

I have learned over the many years of my employment with several organizations, that when Senior Management reaches the point that they are so confused, disoriented, and hopelessly lost that they have to come to me to get help in stabilizing the boat we are all on, that it is just a matter of time until we sink.

Today, about 1/2 hour ago, I am working in my cube and the Former Exective Assistant To The Former Executive Director comes running into my cube waving her arms for me to take my iPod earbuds out. I did. The Former Exective Assistant To The Former Executive Director then said she had an emergency and that I was the only one who could help. I asked, not without irritation btw, "What is the emergency"? The Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director said that a call is on her line which was the line that belonged to the Former Executive Director and that the call was from Mexico City and that a VIP from a major partner in Mexico needed to talk to the Former Executive Director. Obviously, the partners of our organization have not received the word that the Former Executive Director no longer lives here *:-) The Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director said she could not handle the call because she does not speak Spanish (she is white) and that the person on the other end had said "No habla Engles".

I reminded the Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director that I also am white and that my Spanish is not of the formal variety but is home grown from the days I traveled on business to Mexico and Spain. She said "just take the call, ok?".

Not wanting to piss off the Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director, because she is snuggled up tightly to the current Interim Acting Executive Director, I said OK I will take the call. I got enough information communicated to let them know that nobody of any importance to them would be around until next week, and I got an email address to maintain communications, and then said Adios. I gave the info to the Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director and when I suggested that I should tell my boss about this, because he is the only one left who knows anything about what the partnership was about, she freaked and said "No, no!", only the Interim Acting Executive Director is to know about this. I said, OK, cool, I won't tell my boss then.

I began walking back to my cube, which is two cube farm rows over from where I was while talking with the Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director, and as I started down the aisle to my cube, the Interim Acting Executive Director herself came rushing over to me and said "Was that you who was speaking Spanish?" I said, quite calmly actually, "Yes". She wanted a verbal dump of what just happened, which I provided, and she became visibly calmer when I mentioned that I would not be doing anything with this information, and that the Former Executive Assistant To The Former Executive Director would be giving her an update.

For an organization that was founded to serve the state population of Hispanic learners who need help in getting ready for college, I find it amazing that their is no longer anyone in management who is not white, or that speaks Spanish, except for my direct boss. Uh-oh.