the king is dead

Uncle Sid and I have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship. He's one of the most abrasive people I've ever known. When other people have complained to me about things he's done or said, I've often shrugged my shoulders and described Uncle Sid as "all brain and no heart".

It's never been fun for me to do, but I haven't hesitated to let Sid know that he's irritated me and other members of the team with his behavior. The first couple of times, he was receptive to my feedback. He'd quickly revert to his old ways, however, which infuriated me and other members of the team. The last couple of times I provided feedback, however, he lashed out--defensive, whining, attacking my own personality. I may be heartless sometimes and I'm certainly not perfect, but I'm no Uncle Sid.

You might think that Uncle Sid is the antichrist, but he's not. Prickly as he might be, he knows how to get things done. He's ultra-responsible, hard working, and extremely dependable. He's also detailed to a fault, and while his Spock-like level of detail often irritates others, it helps him get the job done. Yes, Sid and I have experienced incredible success together. We've launched new products in new categories that will bring in over $50 million in sales this year alone. It's work that we're very proud of.

My boss pulled me aside last Friday to inform me that Uncle Sid would be leaving the company. The news was shocking--Uncle Sid was a lifer, or at least that's what I thought. He seemed frustrated, but his responsible nature also made it seem like he'd never walk away from his career here. In other ways, however, it made sense. To give you some context on Sid's career, when I joined the company, Sid was six grade levels above me--extremely experienced--and I was a little nobody, fresh out of college. Seven years later, Sid is at the exact same level he was when he joined the company, and I've been promoted such that I'm now one grade level below Sid.

Today was Sid's last day, and his departure was bittersweet. Sure, I won't have the arguments and the rude emails to deal with any more. That's a big relief, to be honest. I will have, however, all of Sid's work to deal with until his replacement can be found. I've been asked if I'm interested in applying for the job. It would be a promotion, but I have my reservations. The billions of extra dollars per year that I would earn with this promotion would likely be offset by having to work for a bad manager. Life is too short to have to deal with another bad manager.

Uncle Sid's departure is also unfortunate because we lost a good person. A responsible, intelligent person. While I'm sure that Sid's failure to get promoted in his seven years with the company had a lot to do with his people skills, it's too bad that the company never thought of a way to reward Sid for all the good work he did. Some people aren't cut out to be people managers, but that doesn't mean that you don't need them around.

This loss of talent is something we can all lament. And so, I raise my glass of water to Uncle Sid in tribute. We barely knew ye, Sid.