“There are invisible lines connecting everything together, and I am particularly fond of the one that connects me to you.” ~ Gabriel Andreas
girl gang
Today, the co-worker gals got together at Shakertown for lunch. We usually only meet for the holidays, but bad weather kept some of us apart this past Christmas, so today was our make-up date. When we started gathering five years ago, give or take, we all worked at UK Libraries. In the last 12-15 months, Things have changed dramatically. Amy has moved to Cincinnati and taken a job with the federal government as a Government Documents Regional Manager (I think that’s her title). Jen has moved to Knoxville and taken a position as Associate Dean of Research Services at the University of Tennessee. I am semi-retired and looking at a number of thrilling future options. It was such a breath of fresh air to sit with these incredibly dedicated women and hear how much more happiness there was around the table than at previous meals. The complaints that remain are the same old problems from the same old problem makers, and it struck me how sad that is for many who deserve better. I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership and management in corporate America lately. Too many managers are just not good managers, period. Decisions are too often based on immediate gratification or need rather than long-term strategy. I’m not sure some managers even know what a strategy is. Citizens United and the idea that a corporation somehow has personhood truly changed the way businesses and leaders operate in the United States, and, in turn, the way workers are seen, or more accurately, used. No longer are they rewarded for loyalty and hard work; instead, they are essentially vilified for it. Any semblance of fairness is replaced by favoritism. Do not ask for what you have rightly worked for. Meritocracy no longer exists, so I’ve been told… by a manager. You hear about it at every level in virtually every working situation. Women and minority workers? Don’t get me started. Two steps forward, three steps back is basically where we are these days. That’s why these women are so important. I have watched each of us struggle with some aspect of corporate greed and the boys’ club. Yet, here we are. Still. Surviving and mostly thriving despite every effort to the contrary. I ask you: who would not want to hire and work with women who make faces at themselves in the Ladies’ Room? What sort of warped mind doesn’t recognize greatness like this? One thing is certain: my love and respect for my homies will never fade away. May we never stop making faces at each other and bitching when we need to.
gaggle of girls
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