Working for a Company with a bad reputation-Part three

You know, I worked for a company with similar experience somewhat. When I accepted the transfer it was another division that was in the red. I didn't know this. I was I guess one could say lied to. I thought it was up and up. Come to find out it was in the red, and numerous times reading reports or watching the map matrix the division was not even on the map. I became upset wondering what is the deal. I asked and was told oh it was a computer generated error. Nothing to worry about, it's just a mess up. I spoke to other counterparts in other divisions that was there long before I got there and was told, "didn't you get told, that division was being looked at as being shut down twice, and when you got there, they figured they would give it one more try". How heart wrenching to know your job is now riding on "can you fix it, if not, you're gone". But I did fix it. From negative $'s to over 5 million in less than 2 years. It does take work, and many times I got called on the carpet "what are you doing down there", because some things in corporates eyes didn't seem logical. But I stood my ground and told them point blank, get off your ass and come down here if you think you can do better, this is not a dog and pony show, you needed change, you needed someone who is willing and wanting to make change, and someone who won't just sit here collecting a paycheck. I got it fixed to the point where we were a benchmark for other divisions to be judged against, with the thought of if my division can do it, so can everyone else, so it became an expectation on other divisions.

In this instance it is somewhat different; I didn't realize what I was walking into. The information like P&L I requested didn't reflect problems. I was given either an old P&L or one from another division that indicated it was successful. But needless to say, it worked out despite the untruths and I was successful and over a decade they made plenty of money with me. After I resigned apparently whoever took over couldn't make it work and a year later the division was shut down. I was even offered to take over another division where there was trouble, but chose not to because I was tired of being asked to go to an undeveloped division. I wanted something I didn't have to clean up.

It is challenging and rewarding to succeed, but if it would have failed, I’ve been told that it could have been a mark against me. How do you write that on your resume after 10 years that it just wasn't a successful division without it being looked at as well you're not very good at handling things!

All options have to be weighed out. And you have to also figure out; is it not the company that really wants things to fail or is it really just troubled.