Larry The Fiber Guy

BACK, VERY EARLY ON IN MY CAREER IN FIBER CONSTRUCTION, I WAS ASKED TO JOIN A SYSTEM UPGRADE TO 1GHZ.
I WAS FAIRLY NEW BACK THEN AND AS USUAL, EAGER TO LEARN.... I AM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I LEARNED THAT DAY..........

ANYWAYS.....FRIDAY
I WAS GIVEN THE CHANCE TO PREBUILD MANY COAX TAPS AND AMPS BASED ON THEIR SYSTEM PRINTS, OVER THE WEEKEND, BY GOING TO THE PRIME CONTRACTOR AND SIGNING OUT ALL OF THE PARTS THAT I WAS TOLD TO PICK UP BY THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR AT THE TIME.  MY INSTRUCTIONS WERE , "PREBUILD THESE PARTS WITH CONNECTORS AND BE READY TO TAKE THEM TO THE BORCHARD EXIT IN THOUSAND OAKS TO PICK UP 2 COAX SPLICERS AND TAXI THEM TO SANTA MONICA, TO PICK UP THEIR BUCKET TRUCKS.  BE THERE AT 630AM MONDAY"

630AM MONDAY MORNING COMES ALONG........... "CRICKETS"
635AM I CALL ONE OF THE SPLICERS TO GET AN ETA.... AND THIS IS HOW THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES....

"HEY LARRY, HOW ARE YOU?  IT'S EARLY.  WHAT'S UP?"
     "HI, GOOD MORNING GARY.  ARE YOU GUYS CLOSE?  I'M AT THE GAS STATION NEAR THE CAR POOL LOT."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?  THE OWNER SAID WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK TODAY.  LENNY TALKED TO HIM LAST NIGHT."
     "OH WOW, HMM... SORRY MAN.  MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD.  I WAS TOLD YOU 2 WOULD MEET ME HERE AT 630A.:"
     "SORRY TO WAKE YOU, I WILL CALL (OWNER) AND FIND OUT WHAT HE WANTS ME TO DO, NO WORRIES."

640AM (I CALL THE OWNER)
"HEY (OWNER).  SORRY TO WAKE YOU.  IM AT BORCHARD BUT THE 2 SPLICERS ARE IN BED IN CARPENTERIA STILL"
"I CALLED GARY AND HE SAYS LENNY SPOKE TO YOU LAST NIGHT AND THEY WERE OFF TODAY?  WHAT NOW?"
     "$%#!! THEY AREN'T THERE YET?!  HANG ON, LET ME CALL THEM!"

645AM (OWNER CALLS ME BACK)
"LARRY, I SPOKE TO GARY AND THEY SAID THEY ARE WALKING OUT THE DOOR RIGHT NOW.  WAIT FOR THEM."
"CONTINUE PREBUILDING COAX PARTS PER SYSTEM PRINTS WHILE YOU ARE THERE WAITING"
     "OK GOT IT, BUILD PARTS UNTIL THEY GET HERE THEN GO TO SANTA MONICA, UNDERSTOOD"

700AM (I CALL OWNER, NO ANSWER, I PAGE HIM ON WALKIE TALKIE, NO ANSWER)
ON WALKIE TALKIE SPEAKING BLINDLY HOPING HE HEARS THIS.......
     "HEY OWNER, SORRY TO TROUBLE YOU, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY KNOW I'M IN BACK"

725AM LENNY AND GARY SHOW UP AND WE ROLL OUT LIKE BANDITS!!!

NOW......
I DON'T KNOW IF MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH US 101 HERE IN VENTURA/LOS ANGELES, BUT LET ME JUST SAY...
BEING NEAR BORCHARD AT 725AM AND HURRYING TO SANTA MONICA....... WELL THATS JUST IMPOSSIBLE.  RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IS MORE LIKE CRAWL FOR 2 HOURS TRAFFIC AT THAT TIME FRAME BUT MEH, WE ROLL OUT!

810AM (OWNER CALLS ME AGAIN)
"LARRY, I JUST GOT CALLED FROM CLIVE HOWARD (PSUEDO NAME) AND WE HAVE ALL THE PARTS FOR THE UPGRADE TODAY FOR EVERY CONTRACTOR, NOT JUST US.  SOURCE, ADVANCED, ETC.  WHAT IS YOUR 20, THEY ARE SCREAMING FOR THE PARTS NOW?"
     "YA, IM JUST NOW GETTING ON MALIBU CANYON DRIVE NOW.  TRAFFIC IS SUPERBA......"
"I DON'T NEED TO HEAR ABOUT TRAFFIC LARRY, HURRY UP AND GET THERE!"
     "I AM TRYING OWNER, BUT IT'S BUMPER TO BUMPER.  I CAN'T JUST DRIVE OVER THESE VEHICLES, HEHE."
"HOW LONG TILL YOU GET TO SANTA MONICA, LARRY?"
     "FROM HERE, IN THIS TRAFFIC, ABOUT AN HOUR"
"@#$!!!#$ WHAT?!?!?!?!  WHY ARE YOU SO FAR AWAY?"
     "WELL IT'S 7 O'CLOCK TRAFFIC, THIS IS NORMAL ON 101 GOING TO SANTA MONICA."
"I DON'T NEED TO HEAR WHAT TRAFFIC IS LIKE LARRY, I GREW UP HERE."
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE SO LATE"
     "THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU AT 640AM, TO LET YOU KNOW THOSE GUYS WEREN'T HERE.  YOU TOLD ME TO WAIT."
"WHAT TIME DID YOU GET THERE?"
     "I GOT HERE AT 630AM, WAITED A COUPLE OF MINUTES, CALLED GARY, THEN CALLED YOU RIGHT AFTER."
"WHAT TIME DID THEY GET THERE?"
     "ABOUT 725AM"
!@@##$#@!! WHY DID YOU STAY THERE SO LONG!?!?!?!  YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THERE AT 7AM OR CALLED ME!
     "ACTUALLY I DID CALL YOU, AND YOU DIDN'T ANSWER, THEN I PAGED YOU AND SPOKE ON THE WALKIE...."
@#$#!T THAT REMINDS ME, I WAS IN A MEETING, DON'T JUST CALL ME ON THE WALKIE AND START TALKING!"
"THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT OUR GUYS ARE RUNNING LATE!  THINK ABOUT IT."
     "I DIDN'T SAY THEY WERE LATE, I JUST SAID LET THEM KNOW I WAS PARKED IN THE BACK."
"WELL, WHATEVER, JUST WAIT FOR ME TO ANSWER"
     "OK, SORRY"
"NOW WHERE ARE YOU?"
     "ABOUT 2 CAR LENGTHS UP FROM THE LAST TIME YOU ASKED."
"FRAAAAAAAAK YOU SHOULD BE THERE BY NOW.  I AM GETTING SO MUCH HEAT SINCE YOU SAT THERE."
     "WELL OWNER, SORRY BUT WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO, YOU SAID WAIT.  THEY STAY IN CARPENTERIA.."
"YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT AT 7!!!!"
     "OWNER, AT 645AM WHEN YOU TOLD ME TO WAIT, DO YOU THINK THOSE GUYS WERE SLEEPING IN THEIR TOOLS?"
     "THEY OBVIOUSLY NEEDED TIME TO FINISH GETTING DRESSED AND GET THEIR GEAR."
     "ALSO, THE DRIVE ALONE FROM CARPENTERIA TO THOUSAND OAKS AT RUSH HOUR IS A 40+ MINUTE DRIVE."
     "I'M SURPRISED THEY GOT HERE AS FAST AS THEY DID."
"<SIGH> I GREW UP HERE, REMEMBER?"
     "SORRY I AM NOT TRYING TO ANGER YOU, BUT I DID WHAT YOU SAID, THE TIMELINES WERE REASONABLE......"
     "I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE LATE THE MINUTE YOU SAID WAIT, BUT THAT WAS YOUR CALL TO MAKE."
     "I WAS JUST FOLLOWING YOUR ORDERS.  I ASSUMED YOU WORKED IT OUT.  I TRY NOT TO QUESTION YOU OFTEN."
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, HURRY UP AND GET THERE..... <CLICK>
 

ANYWAYS... I GOT THERE AT 9AM.  MY BOSS LIED AND THREW ME UNDER THE BUS TO THE PRIME CONTRACTOR, MY NON PRESENT COWORKERS, AND BLAMED ME ON THE TARDY.  THE 2 SPLICERS WERE WITH ME THE WHOLE TIME, BTW, WHILE I SPOKE TO THE OWNER ON SPEAKERPHONE.  NEEDLESS TO SAY, THEY WEREN'T HAPPY ABOUT HOW I WAS BEING TALKED TO, WHEN THE OWNER OBVIOUSLY FORGOT I HAD THE PARTS, I GUESS, AND WAS WEASLING HIS WAY TO FIND SOME POSSIBLE JUSTIFICATION FOR PINNING IT ON ME, WHO WAS STILL NOT ON PRODUCTION YET, AND BARELY KNEW COAX.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, .. THIS TYPE OF HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT, UNPROFESSIONALISM, AND FINGER POINTING TO AVOID BLAME IS WHY I EVENTUALLY ASKED TO BE LET GO.  CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING TREATED THIS WAY EVEN AFTER YOU LOAN THIS PERSON $5000.00 TO COVER THEIR PAYROLL?  BTW, THIS WAS I THINK THE FIRST OR SECOND MONTH, BUT THIS TYPE OF COMMUNICATION WAS HOW I WAS TREATED FROM THE START OF THIS WORKING RELATIONSHIP.

IN REGARDS TO WHAT I THINK I LEARNED THAT DAY.......NM... I GOT NOTHING..  IF I WOULD HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING... I WOULDV'E LEFT THAT DAY, AND NEVER LOOKED BACK, LMAO.  HIND SIGHT.....OH WELL....

iF THERE IS ANYTHING WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THIS EXAMPLE, IT WOULD BE TO SPEND LESS TIME FINGER POINTING AND PUTTING OUT FIRES, AND SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME PLANNING AND PREPAIRING, TO ELIMINATE SURPRISES.

AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE, AND THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

CIAO!!!