“I will be back"

It’s the time for annual appraisals. Law of averages take over: some are rated low, mostly with good reason.

Over years as a handler of bad news, I’ve seen two reactions. One is argument, when one cites context or claims input’s not rewarded enough. The other is retreat, into a shell, almost in disbelief. This time at OfBusiness, I saw a third. A mere “I’ll be back” followed “Thank You”, when his rating and reason was explained. The head was held high.

Two tales came springing back.

Lamborghini, a small time tractor maker and Ferrari owner, had gone with ideas on clutch and engine noise to Ferrari. Enraged, Ferrari said, “the problem is not with the car but the driver”. Lamborghini, in a year, took the sports car industry a thundering step ahead.

Tesla, a starry eyed inventor, joined Edison’s labs to commercialize his dream of AC being the standard for electricity. Edison demoted Tesla, forcing him to quit Menlo Park. Tesla, in a year, collaborated with others and won the first and greatest standards war vs., Edison’s DC.

Back to the appraisal.

I don’t know, young man, whether you walked away with suppressed anger or silent determination. But I’m sure of one thing: we will watch you, pray for you and help you succeed. For when you do, we’ll have stories to tell.