Confessions of an IT Manager_Phil Factor

36 Betting on Promotion
At one stage in my career, I worked in the Engineering department of a
large multinational company, tending a range of Oracle systems. Whenever a
management position became vacant, a thrill of excitement would sweep the
department. The IT managers tended to mistake this enthusiasm for genuine
interest in management comings and goings and in the career progression of
their bosses. In fact, of course, the interest was purely in those parameters that
affected the odds on the outcome.
At some point, the post of supervisor came up in the adjacent IT area. A
book was opened and the candidates for the job were appraised like racehorses.
Tips from the stables were considered, and reference to fetlocks, nobbling,
front-runners, coming up on the canter and coughing in the stables were passed
between the members of staff.
One of my colleagues, Dim David (not his real name), was an amiable chap
who tinkered with a whole range of engineering applications written in Fortran.
He worked alone, largely, but always bought his round in the pub and was
pleasant but dull. When this post came up, he wasn't one of the likely
candidates, as he had none of the required academic qualifications. However,
he had one great asset: he looked the part. His brainpower was unremarkable
but he was tall, had good hair and whatever he did, he did with a natural
'gravitas'.
Whilst chiselling away at my Oracle databases, it suddenly occurred to me
that Dim David would be a perfect outside bet for this supervisor post. I
immediately called in to see Pedro the bookie, the local trade union rep, who
held an undemanding role in the department that gave him plenty of time for
other activities. He was amazed when I ignored the hot favourites and put a
good sum of money on Dim David. He had a loud laugh, and on that occasion it
jiggled the ceiling tiles. I was unperturbed. The decision making process for the
management appointment was so extended and diffuse that I believed I could
influence the outcome by viral means. After all, I hadn't been the first to tamper
with a promotion race in an unsporting way. In order to avoid a loss on a
wager, Pedro himself had once nobbled the favourite for a junior management
post. Whilst purporting to give the candidate good interview advice, he had
maintained that the managers who were conducting the interview had a grand
sense of humour and would appreciate a few jokes about the candidate's
previous bosses. They did not.
On doing my rounds for the next fortnight, I joined in every conversation I
could about the forthcoming appointment. After a while I'd interject a phrase
such as "Ian tells me that Dim David's name has come up for that supervisor
job" Or, "I was surprised to hear that Dim David is being considered for that
job but, thinking about it, he is due for a break." On other occasions, I'd argue