The best assistant-part two

I thought the budget stress session ended last Friday. Unfortunately, it continues this week. At first, the best assistant asked me to read her write up for work plan and budget. It is actually business plan; I do not understand why they called it “work plan”. The second CFO has given his brilliant comment on the paper. I start to read the paper after lunch and eventually found out that the paper was actually a copied paste version from last year budget. No wonder it seems familiar to me. Then I received a call from the best assistant asking me to re-write the paper and submit to her before end of the day. Well, it took me a while to start somewhere as most of the paper need to be re-write. So I start reading the last year version and compared it with my budget working and start the write up. I managed to complete the report by 6.00 and realised I am the last who leave the office. There is something wondering in my mind. Last Friday, the best assistant claimed that she will do the budget report with her own format, but judging from today’s it seems she do nothing except than copied paste version. Why is it so? Is she really busy until do not have time to do the report? After all, we have prepared something for her last Friday, so the best assistant was actually having sufficient information to do the write up. In other circumstances, the best assistant does not seems very busy that she do not have time to do the report as I saw that she have time to update the King on the progress which herself does not reflected. Again, who will claim the credit? You know the answer.

I did the cash flow projection today in relation for her to decide on the placement of fixed deposit. However, it seems that she ignored the information and I believe she would ask the same in next few days. Somehow, I wonder, whether she realised or not, that taking the role of CFO is not just for the sake of being a signatory, but it more than that. If all those thinking part is done by the most junior subordinate, then it is the question whether she is actually in capability of taking the role? If the work that supposed to be done by CFO is now prepared by the junior subordinate, what is the role and responsibility of the CFO? How would the best assistant accountable for the liability that she took? The most important thing, how would she justify for the salaries and perks that she has taken and the injustice that she have done to me? Would she able to justify that in front of The Merciful? Subhanallah..

The best assistant-part one

As expected, the best assistant has 1001 unique ways to ensure my life in the institution miserable. She began with lists of task on the third day of the new environment, including the September account and report. The next morning she already asked for the September report. It is the first time I tried to do such report, as normally it was my boss who writes the report. Pressured from her, I wrote as simple as I could and delivered to her. She accepted the report without any comment and I have doubt that she reviewed the report.

The second task was to change and update the signatories. It is an easy task, however to get the signatories to sign on the specimen card was the actual challenge. It feels like buying an Iphone on its 1^st day of sale, with crowds of people and you have to queue and wait for so long. Since I have a good relationship with the banking institution, the task was completed much earlier than expected. It was supposed to ease the backlog payments but they are out of country for some business. Hence when they come back I was struggled to get their signatories for payment, and believe me, it is a real challenge to get their signatures. I feel like wanted to make an appointment with them just to get signatures for payment. Adding to the problem, all payment are done manually, through instruction letter, not through internet banking like we used to do. It added to my administrative works as I need to go to Leboh Ampang frequent than before. At one point of time, there was a time I reached bank at 5.15pm on Friday and the bank almost close. I was just arrived there and received a call from best assistant asking me to go bank to the institution, just to write another payment instruction, with a reason, it was an urgent payment. It was very provocative reason when I found out that the payment was actually for the third party whose was the arranger of the “Surprised Day”. Even though I explained to her that the bank will close as soon as I leave, the best assistant still insist for me to go back to the institution until later I heard she sound very angry to me. It was Friday, and the institution declared closed until the next Wednesday, rationally there will be no one would come on the next Monday just to deliver the payment letter to the bank. However being unreasonable superior, it is pretty clear that the best assistant is out of her mind. The next week I found out that they chase others to go home by six with a reason to lock the door since it would be a long leave. See? Just like I thought, the best assistant was unreasonable.

The third task was to make an expense projection for the next three month. Again, it was an easy task for me, but unfortunately I did not get support from my own supervisor or even the subjects of the kingdom. Some of the subjects seem suspicious looking at me like I wanted to steal information. Perhaps the statement “confidential to insider but not outsider” was applicable here. I did best I could even though the best assistant seem not interested to the information. In the same week as they have business trip, I was called by the King, asking the cash position and forecasted expenses for the next quarter. I gave the figures but reminded the King that my projection was limited to the extent of my knowledge and accessibility. Perhaps, concerned with the cash flow liquidity, the King ordered his subjects to give me information for the cash management as a console uniform. In my view, without the interference of the King, I may perhaps until today would not able to access information, consider the mentality of the subjects and the best assistant attitude. Coming to the day of fund transfer, the best assistant still did not show her interest or in exact word, ignoring what the CFO supposed to do. To save the institution, it was me who proposed amount for the fund transfer and give the suggestion, whilst the best assistant then gladly gave her signatures and claimed the credit.

Not only that, I was instructed to do administrative works, until I feel sometimes becoming a secretary to her, arranging her a meeting, follow up something, taking notes, printing and other stuffs.

The biggest task for me as of now was to do the next year budget. It may not easy but at least I have experienced to make a budget in my previous company with 7 years forecast. However, the biggest challenge was to work with an ex-CFO of one institutional here. He is a bossy man with some requirement to follow, stubborn and wanted to do things by his own style. One statement that I could remember “Oh, you have to learn from hi, he got ACCA long time before I have”. Daa.. Do I care? I’m also a chartered accountant, but I never market myself in such cheap way. However, I still find my self a good heart because compared to other subjects I still hold my patient working with this old man. In completing the task, we have emailed best assistant for her respond and information gathering, but none of our email being replied. It was already three weeks and from informal information, I found out that the best assistant was actually behind the schedule. The best assistant was supposed to circulate the budget to the board members by 20^th. I was smiling alone. It was actually the day before, she busy asking for the information and requested us to complete the task. I think, desperately she called the business team for meeting just to get information. It seems that she was actually not having any idea what the business is, or otherwise we would not be in such “informative” meeting. With all the stress I completed sealed budget and make a report before submitted to her this afternoon. We will see who will claim for the credit. You could guess who J

It is Friday again

It is Friday again. It has been 4 weeks since they fired my boss. I’m supposed to be well adjusted to the situation since it has been a month they thrown the “Big Surprised.” Unfortunately I do not well adjusted or to be exact I could not even fit into the new environment.

Just expected, the best assistant has her own unique way to make sure I had my toughest days in the institution. Her own “sweet” way of making me following orders without questions and dumped every chores on me has definitely leave me no second though to leave if I had a chance. Not only administrative, I had to do the thinking part which supposed to be done by CFO or to be exact Executive Director who has ACCA. And the best part, all the credit goes to her, like a superstar (shine bright like a diamond, of course in front of the King). To be honest, I’m seriously had enough. I could give full support to my boss no matter who he/she is, but the best assistant was definitely not going to have that kind of commitment from me. Well, just said that we don not have any chemistry. I am not types that follow order without justification, or obey things that in my view not in its place. Maybe it’s not her fault; it is me being an ordinary old fashion thinking accountant, could not serve her extra ordinary orders.

It is already a month, but I think I am still shock with “The Surprised.” I still could not go over it. It was a hit to my boss but was actually a strike to me. Too bad, I could not share this with anyone there. They have a strange way of managing people. We are restrained to talk to each other whilst everything for them is confidential. It is confidential to insiders but not to outsiders. It is so funny. So all these while, I had to keep what I feel within me, and believe me it is hard to do so. I had to pretend not feel anything but grieving inside. I go to work with a plastic face, not showing any emotion despite what they said or done. It is hard and makes me even sad, yet I have to give the sweetest smile to them. It is now no difference of me and the pillar; no emotion.

It is a month but I still had my tears when I remembered the “Surprised Day”. I am sorry boss, I should be strong like you asked, but I’m failed. I cannot hold myself from tears each time I remembered the day. I’m too emotional, I guess; just like you said. It has been 4 weeks but I still do the routine, looking at my boss place morning and evening with a hope that I could see my boss is sitting there. Yes, I’m silly, but I cannot help myself.

The things bothered me is that they keep asking me whether I contacted my boss or what my boss and I have been discussed before. I do not know whether they believe when I told them that we talk about statistic, or algebra or interest rate. Most probably they suspected that we (my boss and I) have secret. Well, I should tell them that we (my boss and I) have a plan to bomb White House, and then maybe they would buy the idea. They are creepy people.

Some of them asked why my boss and I could get along. It is a pretty strange question, yet I could only bury the answer within me. He has been a good boss to me despite I always do thing by my own style. I am the naughtiest and stubborn staff yet he still cool about it. He is very open boss that I could spill my opinion or thought without having pressure to follow the order if I feel something wrong. Although he is a little bit arrogant (he admitting this J ) and unfriendly (to a certain people), and most of them afraid to him, I never feel so. It is a little bit weird to see people trying avoiding him, even an auditor said my boss is very straight, but I find him the other way around. I remembered when he joined the institution October last two years; I find it hard to understand his slang, I took my time to figure out what did my boss said. But now, my boss is one of the closest friends I have. Did I mentioned that he have a good heart despite of his unfriendly look J. Coming back to question why did we could get along; I guess it is a mutual trust and respect, because I trust and respect my boss no matter what people said about him; and vice versa. I guess this makes me very sad when he is not around. I feel like kind of loosing of something. Something is missing and it is really torn my heart.

 Despite of that, I hope that my boss would have a better chance after this. My boss deserves something better because he is a good person. Let us pray that God gives us thousand times of patient for having this incident and may this experience make us a better person.