Members Column Day

Let’s open an e-mail from another disgruntled CGI members, hoping I can fix whatever is wrong in his head.

Dear Mike, I am a young CGI member fresh out of college and I have to say this company is truly supporting new employees, I feel like I’m really part of something here. How do you encourage leadership so that new hires like myself can quickly get more responsibilities within the company? Signed: Ron

Ron, I guess you first worked at McDonald’s during college so maybe you deserve a first CGI reality check here. While at McD you first got working on fries, and once the manager saw that you were not entirely clueless and you could read the time on your watch, you were upgraded to the McFlurry station. And then after 6 months you moved to making quarterpounder which was a big, big step and the manager gave you a pat on the back, way to go champ, maybe a few years from now you’ll be night manager. Sounds like it?

CGI doesn’t work this way pal, and leadership is not exactly something we value because there’s only one leader and that’s me. Only Captain Kirk decides where the Enterprise goes. The rest of you red shirts are expandable. And I really don’t need to breed future leaders. I mean, this is just bull you read from highly paid management consultants.

Why? For one thing, there are already dozens is not hundreds of VPs at CGI who would give anything to take my seat - and my parking spot. And I’m not talking about the thousands of starving directors who work their ass off 70 hours a week hoping I’ll notice them (yeah, right). So if you’re at the lowest level of the pyramid I think you should put lid on any hope to move very high – that is unless you plan to live 670 years.

The other reason is that CGI is on the block and I hope to find a buyer so that I can retire. So let’s say IBM buys CGI, your hope to move to a VP position is probably 5M to 1 against. Why bother? My advice to you: keep doing whatever you’ve being doing as long as your client wants you. Keep your expectations bottom low.

If you want to move to a real manager position, I advise you go to Tim Horton’s. You’ll get to wear a funny hat, something CGI cannot provide.