So, yesterday, I had "the chat" with my boss. Earlier in the week I had my annual performance review. It was fine, with the usual high ratings on all metrics. As part of this process, we create a plan for the next year and slot in travel and projects etc. I was sort of non committal on travel (based on unknown medical appointments and how I would be feeling etc). So after it was all done and signed, I asked for a one hour meeting to explain some things. That happened yesterday at the end of the day.
Now, I know my boss really well, and I anticipated her being totally supportive of me. And I wasn't wrong. I told her everything about what was going on, my separation, how I was dealing with that, and my plan to transition. She was very empathetic regarding my separation. And, she is totally on board with my transition. She said I have her total support, the support of the office and the support of the department and she will bring to bear all the resources of the department and organization to help me. I am in one of the highest profile offices in entire organization. She said that this is an opportunity to show all other departments how this is to be handled and how important it is that we do this properly.
She said that I have worked hard over the large number of years I have been here to cultivate a great deal of personal and political goodwill. This is going to work so much in my favour. She is not anticipating any issues, but if there are, they will be dealt with quickly and effectively to ensure the best possible experience for me and the organization. Intolerance will not be tolerated.
We chatted about how to roll out the transition from a communication point of view and the different layers. From the 8 people in my office - the C suite - to the 400 in my department to the 5,000 in my organization. So we are starting to think about it. We also discussed next steps and who to get involved sooner rather than later. There are also a number of people that I want to speak with personally about this. I work closely with other department heads and VPs and they deserve to be told in person, not by an email. So, over the next little while, we are going to put a plan together. She is happy to work on my timeline and go at whatever pace I am happy with. She will also join me when I met with our department HR person and other key individuals to support me in the conversation and demonstrate that I have complete support of the office and department.
I am very lucky. We have worked together for a long time and I was pretty sure that I would have her support, but you never know until you have "the chat". In the end, she gave me a big hug and said this is going to be great. "It will be great to have you finally be happy, and I will do whatever it takes from my end to get you there".
Time for another little happy dance???
