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The Howie Experience

Prequel

I just found out something so shocking that I have to adjust my thinking. Here I sit almost three years into HC’s reign and I have found out something that blows me away, sort of. I mean, I guess I’m not surprised but I am. Ok, I hear you, get on with it.

He that is the Howie was told when he first got here by his brand, new boss to fire us. Yup, fire us, let us all go. Not only were we not knowledge managers, we were nothing but a bunch of people who had been shuffled around (mostly it would seem because no one wanted us). And, besides that, (wink wink) we were expensive (you can read here “old”). That’s what Howie was told about the people he would be managing. Welcome to your new department.

He could just go ahead and get rid of us and hire whomever he wanted. He had cart blanche. Gold card.

So, what is his response?

No.

Yup, NO. Having just started, he told THE MAN, NO.

Can you imagine, this young whipper-snapper telling his boss, No, he was going to keep us.

My amazement and respect has grown to new heights. I don’t think that I will ever meet or know anyone so brave or open to giving everyone a chance. He actually believes what he exposes. That makes him one unique man, one very, special person. Thanks for believing in us when no one else did. Thanks for standing up for us when you didn’t even know us. Thanks for the chance to prove them wrong. Thanks for being you. Believe me, you are so! No one stands up for anyone anymore. Apparently, you don’t know that. Thank God! And, thank you!

Background

You can’t really understand what happened without some context for the story. Go back with me and consider we were once a team of 14 people strong doing our best instructional design for Operations. We trained a whole lot of people on how to use systems that delivered our insurance products to our client. In many cases, we trained the clients, as well. We were solid.

Over the next ten years the team was whittled down to just 6 of us. We were bounced around and managed to survive three bosses who knew nothing about what we did or cared to learn and two departments landing unceremoniously in IT. IT? We wondered why, too. We continued to try to morph into whatever the flavor of the month was back then.

Yes, we became jaded and that is when it happened. We were informed that we would get yet, one more boss and this one was also not an instructional designer, knew nothing about training but was charged with changing our focus for the whatever (10th) time. We would now become (drum roll, please) with the wave of a hand, “Knowledge Managers”. Our initial combined response, mine included, was: “What the heck is a Knowledge Manager?”

Current management couldn’t give us meaning for the term but did finally give us his name, “Howie Cohen”. Ah, don’t you mean “Howard”, we asked? No, we were told he goes by “Howie”. .

Me, being who I am, had enough information to begin my research. I was going to find out what I could about this Howie person and provide my compatriots with the scoop. We had survived so many incompetent managers; surely he had to be better.

Ah, the internet, the place to find out what you can about anyone. I did a quick search on LinkedIn figuring if he just found the job, he must be there. He was. I read his profile to my cohorts. Only 42 years old, huh - same age as my nephew. Everyone was quick to groan, another young one.

After pondering the situation, I decided to drop him a note, welcoming him to our team. Gadzooks! He calls me back and thanks me. Wow, who is this nice guy? We chat for a while and I tell him about the group and he tells me about himself and asks if it is ok to send me some stuff to share with everyone about this knowledge management stuff. There is one question that I will never forget he asked me. He asked, “What do VPs wear in the office?” I knew right then that he was special. He wasn’t afraid to be human in front of me. The impact of that one statement was immense. Here was someone who was “real”. So I read the 17 tons of information he sent as my colleagues grumbled. We had a couple of chats after that before we arrived.

The New Manager

First day, we were all excited to check out our new manager. He walked in, back straight as an arrow, hair freshly cut, zip up sweater with a shirt and tie. A tie. Since we had gone to business casual, ties had all but disappeared but there he was on that first day. Howie is very young looking. (Think about a 10th grader going to high school for the first time and you can capture a bit of his youthfulness.) In addition to the tie, Howie always wears a smile.

In the first few weeks, Howie proved he truly was a subject matter expert in Knowledge Management and was willing to share all his knowledge freely with anyone who cared to join his mission of spreading the KM word. His enthusiasm was infectious. He made things happen. He said he would train us to do our new KM job. “Oh right, we all thought. No one had spent a cent on training for us during the last 7 years and this new kid was going to make it happen. Skepticism set in, again.

He came through. His first promise was fulfilled and most of us began to believe.

The First Year

Looking back over that first Howie year, I can only smile. He continued to stand behind his word. If he said something, you could count on it. It was so amazing that someone would not only trust us to do the right thing but also stood up for us with others. We were flabbergasted. He didn’t micro-manage, he shared his knowledge and taught us. He listened to our opinions and seriously weighed what we were saying. Howie believed in us and we returned that belief in him.

Were their bumps? Of course. As I said, we were jaded and continually put him to the test. Could we work at home? Oh, man you mean he trusts us? He continued to treat us as adult human beings with brains. It was a new and exciting difference from the past. Trust tested, built and given is returned.

By midyear, we were on fire with ideas for spreading KM. We held “lunch and learns”, “talk to the experts”, provided presentations and even covered bulletin boards in the entire building with propaganda. People were beginning to see that knowledge and sharing of it was important for each other and for the company as a whole. We felt our value and he applauded the loudest!

The Happening

Our story could have continued. I believe that. Howie had created a dream team that respected each other because we got respect in return. A team that was ready to embrace the new and walk behind him wherever he wanted.

Then it all unraveled. We were set adrift in the sea of mis-mergers. Eaten as it were by another company who had no use for us as we were. Once more we needed to morph. This time there would be no KM, knowledge was not held in any esteem. Indeed, no one felt it was necessary to even transfer any existing knowledge to others.

Howie continues to pilot the ship adding new members to our little band. He tried to give the new members the same respect and trust he gave us but they would have nothing to do with it. It wasn’t “their way”. We were told that we could only support a couple of systems. We didn’t have any power or responsibility for the systems; we were the gardeners, not the architects, the mulchers not the buyers. They strip Howie of responsibility and tie him to the chair. He doesn’t smile as much these days. Neither do we, we question the value of what we must do and he has no answers.

And so, the sun sets on the Howie experience.

Post Script

Life is funny. Two days ago, the company let me go along with Howie and three others. Why? Said reason, “We weren’t technical enough”. Ha! We are old and they think used up. This time Howie wasn’t given a choice or (as usual) a chance. Up until the end, Howie continued to fight for us.

That’s what great managers do. They fight for their people. They believe in their people.

Thanks, Howie. You have always believed in us. You have fought every inch of the way in the last three years. You have been in our corner since the beginning, right through the end.

If anyone wants a terrific manager and even more a terrific human being, they should hire you. I’m certain that someone will. Even though it is the end of our story, you have so much to offer others. As a favorite manager in my over 40 year career, any company that hires you will not begin to understand how lucky they are to have you until you open your mouth and give your all, as always. For you, the best is truly yet to come!

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