I don't want to have this come across as bragging, but I have to explain this to ask this question. Okay, where I work is a call center and I do sales, along with customer service. For the last five years, out of 2500 representatives online nationally, I have been number one in sales for all months and years. Not by a little either, were talking a complete blow out. I have won trips to Cancun, Bahamas and next April to the Camel back Inn In Scottsdale Arizona. I have trophies on my desk that almost need their own address, there are so many and they are so big. So, you would think I would be all showy and arrogant, right? Not in the least, people want to beat me all the time and I am more then willing to sit down and help them. I wrote a whole training book, and even teach training classes when I can. I am number one in the nation, on the number one team in the nation, and in the number one call center in the nation. Not taking credit for it all, but I think I do something right.
So there are management positions that come open all the time, and people look to me to apply and I do not. Why? Because I am a commission sales person and when you pull in six figures doing that, and management is almost a $20,000 or more pay cut, why apply? So I have done this for nearly five years now and no one has bothered me. Just pats on the back, thanks for the help with others and so on. Well it all changed today. I get the head call center manager calling me in to the office to speak with me, I figure it will be a, "Can you get the troops motivated" talk. Which has happened before and I do my best, and try and come up with something new and exciting for people to offer some way. So I am sitting there and they start getting all serious, and I am wondering what I did. So they ask me why I do not want to apply for anything and always comment that it would be a pay cut. I mention, "because it is" and I am happy being a representative. They then comment that they are getting pressure from corporate to get me to do something, other then being a representative. It seems, they are all puzzled that someone would want to stay on the lowest level in the company and not want more. Maybe it is my pay? Well, I then get lectured on how I need to removed my trophies from my desk, as they make people think I am overly proud. They mention how if I keep telling people I will not take a management position, due to the pay cut involved, I could loss my job and be replaced. They then mention, that I need to apply for management and be a team player, and benefit more people then me. At the same time, the head call center manager tell me he would not higher me, as a manager, as I am so negative about the pay cut.
So after getting reamed for being to successful and content, I walk back to my desk in a daze. Did I enter the Twilight Zone, is someone going to pop out and say, "Just kidding?" After all, I was threatened with being fired, because I was too good. I should also add, I have never missed a day of work, never been late, follow my schedule to the minute, have some of the highest positive customer service reports percentage and always volunteer for OT when asked. Yet here I am, walking to my desk wondering if I will have a job all this year, because I did well. Apparently I better be less proud of achievement, and reach out to be a supervisor. I feel sort of numb with all the insanity of it, but what can you expect, I do work for a corporation.
Help me out here, is it wrong to be proud of achievements?