To meet or not to meet...(1)

Interesting how people cope with change. If you're not careful, you can really be defeated by even the most timid of men.

I've been in Riverside General for almost five months now and I thought that I was going about my business unobtrusively, schmoozing every inch of the way. I tell you, it can be really tiring. And I mean, bone tiring.

The whole thing started with, of all people, my boss.

The conspiracy that I thought existed between my boss and myself does not exist. When I thought that he had bought my proposition to keep Lucy busy to get her out of my hair, I thought wrong. I suppose he thought he could play the manipulation game but later on, realized he couldn't. I could have lived with that; he is, after all, my boss and I should adjust my management style according to his -- up to a point, of course. But what I find greatly disturbing is that this guy didn't come up to me and tell me to my face that he was not playing the game anymore.

What my CEO does is to seek out VG ad RDG, two members of the Quality Assurance Committee (the top management team, of which I am a member), and ask them why there was a need to keep things from each other. This guy mentions the memo I sent to him, notifying him of the schedule of the nurses' charting project, hoping to convey the message that he should consider the schedule in assigning work to Luzy. Hint, hint. Apparently, the hints worked. Problem is, they worked too well.

So VG approaches me one Friday evening as I got ready to pack up and leave, and tells me of a Committee meeting the coming Monday. When I asked what the agenda was, he could only murmur that I would know by Monday.

Uh, hello? Anything there in your cranial cavity? You call for a meeting and keep the agenda secret?

Of course, my spider senses told me that something was brewing. After much pressing and questioning, VG finally let slip that it was about "how the committee conducted its business."

Aha.

So it came out that the CEO had asked him about these manipulations and machinations among its members, keeping things secret from each other, etc., etc. I thought I was surrised that my CEO could take this up with other people instead of me, especially when the issue about Lucy was told him in the strictest confidence, but I was appalled when VG said that the CEO cited a memo detailing plans to keep committee projects secret. And that RDG was told about this as well.

Aha, aha.

Upon cross examination, vG admitted to not having read the memo for himself, or even having seen it. And to his knowledge, neither had RDG. And so, the question was asked: Do we call a meeting on an allegation that is mere hearsay? Of course, I did not admit to knowing anything about a memo. But I was genuinely taken aback when VG said that the CEO had answered the memo! To whom it was addressed, VG could not say.

Could it have been my memo? Apparently not, as I had not received a reply.

VG reiterated his request that I confirm my attendance at the meeting that coming Monday. I asked who had confirmed. It was only a small group: RDG, VG, Lucy, Mega, and LLB. The obvious question was raised: why not the entire committee? The issue clearly affects the entire membership so why restrict the discussion to a small group? VG had no answer, except that the issue did not require the presence of the entire membership.

My spider senses were really alert now. A roasting session? Maddie on trial? Interesting.

After more grueling questions, VG disclosed that it was Lucy who actually wanted to meet.

Aha, aha, aha!

And both VG and RDG thought holding the meeting off-site was a good idea -- at Lucy's resthouse somewhere in the boondocks. What an idiotic idea. I pointed out to VG that if this is Lucy's issue, then I wouldn't want to have the meeting at her place; it would be better to hold it on neutral ground. And it would be best for all concerned to air the issue before the entire membership. I offered to inform Freddie.

At this, VG became very agitated and adamantly protested that it was not necessary to involve the others, especially Freddie. Of course, I insisted that since this was a committee issue, the committee should resolve the matter. I set the meeting on the coming Tuesday, after the 8.30 a.m. meeting of the Facilities Committee in which Freddie and Myles were members.

I left VG looking very distressed indeed.

(To be continued...)