Smart Lemming Diary: Poaching is Successful
August 21, 2005
When I got back into the office on Friday morning, the revised offer letter still hadn’t been sent from our Controller to Jonathan for my Marketing Manager position. Jonathan had emailed once on Thursday and during lunch on Friday letting me know he still hadn’t received it, but that he would check again after work and call me around 5:30 pm or 5:45 pm. I considered it a good sign that Jonathan was friendly and anxiously awaiting the offer letter, but would he say join our company?
The Controller finally sent the letter. I’m waiting around the office for Jonathan to call. I finally leave around 6:00 pm. My cell phone rings and that goodness it’s Jonathan. “Hi, I received the offer letter, everything looks in order. I take off on Sunday for a week on vacation and I’ve been working like crazy to finish up at work.” He rattles on and on until I say. “But Jonathan, as Tom would say, ‘Is that a yes’?” as I interrupt his free flowing, thinking out loud monologue. “Oh my God, yes!” He says with happiness and enthusiasm.
“Okay, I’m mailing my signed copies to you on Saturday so you should have them by Wednesday. I’m on vacation, leaving on Sunday, but will check email first thing when I get back. I’m giving notice when I get back from vacation.” Jonathan continues in his little high. “Thank you so much for thinking of me for this job and being so generous with all of it, accommodating me by working from home. I can’t wait to come over two days a week!” He continues.
Tom’s making the offer to Jamie on Monday, Jonathan’s on board, and there’s Amanda, and me. Tom’s wife and co-founder of the company) emailed me on Friday saying, “Wahooo! I do hope Jonathan comes to our company. It would be a dream come true to have a fully functioning marketing and sales team – for the first time ever. And the fact that you guys have all worked together in the past makes me believe this really would be the dream team.” Kind words from her as she was really emailing me to say, “In case the day has progressed without anyone else telling you this, let me just say that I’M DAMN GLAD YOU’RE HERE AT THE COMPANY!”
The Smart Lemming Diary is a series that chronicles a journey of laid-off worker, who becomes a Vice President of Sales Operations & Marketing for a small entrepreneurial healthcare technology company. For previous entries in this series, click here.
