Manager as Friend

Lynn Harris was my Father's best friend. He was a young 54 when he died nearly four years ago. Ten years ago Lynn gave me some great counsel and support when I was going through a divorce. Five years ago it was Lynn that I consulted with as I negotiated a package to become the Chief Information Officer for American Direct Credit in Boise. But I knew Lynn for many years before these events. He became a part of my life over twenty years ago.

I was a young man living out of state. When I returned to Utah on rare visits my dad enjoyed taking me along with him to work. It was at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden that I first met Lynn. Dad had hired him to be the Business Office Manager. Right from the first anyone could see that they enjoyed working together. There was a lot of playfulness in that office. And a lot of work was done. Dad told me many stories over the years of what Lynn and he had done to improve collections, reduce costs and hold patient charges to a minimum. At one point Dad confessed that the high and low points of his year were the annual budget hearings. His stated goals for this time were to (1) keep the ER Doctors from getting any more money and (2) keep the cost of services to a minimum. Lynn was his island of sanity in these crazy times.

Dad left McKay in 1984. He had other jobs over the next few years. Several years back Dad found himself looking for a new job. It so happened that Lynn was working as the CFO at a local Hospital. He hired Dad to be his Business Office Manager. My Father is getting toward the end of his career and doesn't find the need to work as many hours as he once did. Lynn needed someone he could trust that was capable and didn't need constant supervision. It was a great fit.

I had moved back to Utah and took time to visit Dad and Lynn at work every once in a while. Whenever I spent time with them there was always talk of new drivers, or new putters, or new places to play golf. They still had a great deal of playfulness and their office was a fun place to work. Then came the day that Lynn was diagnosed with lung cancer. That was a terrible day.

Still, Lynn and Dad kept in good spirits. Lynn worked for a few more months until his health deteriorated. After that Dad received the assignment to visit Lynn every day and report back to the office. It was a difficult time for all of us. Just over a year after first finding out about the cancer Lynn passed away. Dad and I attended the Funeral together. It was held at Davis Park Golf Course, in the shade over by the practice green. Just the way Lynn wanted it.

My point. Well, I've been told that you shouldn't be friends with the people at work. That work and personal life should never be mixed. But I learned a different lesson from my Father.

Over more than twenty years my Dad and Lynn worked together. For much of that time they were friends and at the end, best friends. At the funeral Dad said that seeing Lynn every day for that last few months was like watching him "die by degrees." It certainly wasn't any fun for either of them. But you see, they had been there for each other over many years. Dad hired Lynn when Lynn needed a job. Lynn returned the favor when Dad needed work. Both prospered because of the abilities of the other. Work got done. It didn't happen at the expense of fun.

As a manager my work is more than the day-to-day grind. Sure, that is important. And all the freindship in the world won't conpensate for incompetence. But given the fact that you should surround yourself with good people, set worthy goals and kick some serious butt, in the end only the relationships endure. Everything else fades away.

That's all for now..........
8:03:22 PM    comment []