“Get Out of There”

The three lieutenants – the rower, the techie and teflon man – all gone. An atmosphere of fear pervaded the first floor offices as Lady M stalked the corridors to find out who knew what about the illegal transfer of funds. Her job was to identify any whistle-blowers and fix the problem for the ever-impatient MacCawdor.

Sue called in the interns for a meeting when MacCawdor complained of poor feedback from the team-building events. The Commander got wind of “concerns” about “amateurs” and serious wastes of professionals’ time. MacCawdor asked Lady M to investigate. The first floor corridor of St. Angela’s buzzed feverishly with rumours.

Drip, drip, drip. The poisoner did her job. She added to the menacing atmosphere by having tea and chats with the top executives’ PAs and secretaries about the terrible state of things and the unspecified “concerns”. I felt the heat of the spotlight on me; I felt fear.

What did the books say?

After many hours of studying the tomes, there was nothing of any use. The Prof’s words rang in my ears – “there is theory, and there is practice.”

Over lunch, trying to be helpful, he told me about organisational psychopaths. Although early days then, there was some research to explain this subtle, calculated, and dangerous, form of extreme behaviour. It involved cornering and then destroying an individual, mostly for kicks, for fun, for control. I was so stunned, I could not finish my lunch. I felt fear.

The Rule of Omertà

I have since learnt that organisational psychopaths appear normal and even charming. These people, however, are emotionally barren; they lack remorse and empathy; they manipulate and destroy without concern. The psychopath’s modus operandi is to isolate individuals, control their access to others, and destroy them through applying great psychological pressure.

All the while, they are friendly and helpful as they twist the reputation-destroying knife. The way of it relies on the rule of Omertà – say nothing, shut your eyes, walk away. Tell no-one.

Such behaviours create a very lonely experience, especially if there is the prospect of whistle-blowing on a financial problem. Loyalty to the oath of Omertà forms a strong binding force where the unacceptable becomes acceptable; it becomes the routine. Oh, and psychopaths cover their tracks well.

Having tea?

And so it was, Lady M invited me to have tea with her to talk about her “concerns”. She was so friendly and helpful, making suggestions about how I, and the other interns, might improve our approach to the “team-building” assignment. She probed gently, but expertly, to see if I knew anything about the rumours of financial misdeeds that the recently departed lieutenants had put about. I felt fear, rooted to the spot, and, fortunately, unable to speak.

On leaving, she turned to me and, staring, gestured emphatically to zip my lips closed.

Sue, the boss, called me in for tea and a chat too. She wanted to discuss my future. There were concerns about my competence, being out of my depth, being difficult to work with. Drip, drip, drip.

Having “tea” in the Planning Department to discuss the ubiquitous “concerns” was the vehicle to create fear. MacCawdor’s three watchers met for tea often. Lady M joined them from time to time to compare notes and gather information for her report. Lady M had privileged access to MacCawdor, and she was feared by the three watchers. They were careful in her presence, and did what they were told. Omertà Rules OK.

The Hunting Pack

Of the three watchers, we have already met the poisoner, May. She was very adept at her job and dripped her nasty brew into the system routinely and effectively. In contrast, we have MacCawdor’s special assistants, Liz Fenway and Jean Howell. What a pair of shameless sycophants. They fell over themselves to out-praise MacCawdor, and Lady M, even when there was no cause.

Liz was known as “noddy” by the first floor people because she was always nodding enthusiastically to anything MacCawdor said. One of their naughty pranks was to take bets on when her head would fall off with all the nodding going on. They looked down on her as she had no technical skills in investment planning, performance management, or financial information. She walked around meaningfully trying to progress her “special projects” for MacCawdor. To her utter frustration, the first-floor people were never available for her queries.

Jean was known as “the thief” amongst the workers because she stole people’s ideas and work to progress her “special projects”. MacCawdor was always pleased with her work and did not give a fig for its source. Omertà Rules OK. 

These were not stupid people. They hunted as a pack. They met for tea often to work out what to do. They were MacCawdor’s eyes and ears. They loyally kept the rule.

A Slow Boat in China

As one of the hunted, fear fills your every waking moment. It feels like being strapped to the front of an out-of-control train careering off the tracks. It is frenetic, and lonely. You become invisible. You become the walking dead.

Sue, having expressed her “concerns” about all our work, and mine in particular, suggested we all have a break to think about our futures. What a relief. Time to think – should I stay or should I go?

I went as far away from St. Angela’s as I could. I went to China and took a slow boat, a paddle steamer, up the Lijiang (river Li) to the ancient town of Guilin in the Guangxi Province. It is so different there, so slow on the water, that you have time to think. This is the place of the cormorant fishermen, where they’ve been catching their fish with the help of their birds since ancient times.

The Consideration

Team-building: there is  theory and there is practice. The theory is very inadequate. Whistle-blowing: there is theory and there is practice. You need very strong guts to spill the beans on anything. Is there justice? — Omertà Rules OK.

It was in lovely Guilin that I had to decide whether to stay or to go, and whether to disclose the financial misdeed. What about my career, my sunk costs, my rights? What about St. Angela’s? What about the first floor workers? The world keeps on turning and it moves on. Here today and gone tomorrow. Is blowing the whistle worth it?

The history of whistle-blowers forms a sad epitaph to those brave souls who summon up enough courage to speak. The problem at St. Angela’s was who do you speak to?

On my return, I learned that St. Angela’s was in merger talks with another teaching hospital down the road. The Commander and his executive team were wholly diverted to this cause, including MacCawdor. As a result, Sue was too busy to discuss our futures. “Later” she would say, running down the corridor to yet another endless meeting, her ever-present rictus smile flashing past you.

Should I stay, or should I go?  Should I spill the beans?

Come back next time to find out if there is Justice…..

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.