Bidding Wars
It wasn't my decision. As the orchestra's administrator, however, it was my job to implement it. Power is protected by being insulated from its assertion and repercussions. People like me are compensated to do its bidding. In this case, I had to inform a singer, in her dressing room immediately after a performance, that she would be replaced for the recording session scheduled for a day later. I was 28 and it was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my career. She, and her manager who was also in the room, weren't happy. The last-minute nature of the decision made it particularly cruel. Young and ambitious, I didn't question it, or my role to deliver the news. As a consultant, I've also been on the receiving side of this equation. "The project isn't moving forward…with you." I've learned to be more gracious than I'm feeling in such situations. Not having the opportunity to respond to any critiques compounds the sting; the issue is rarely about competence or budget. Power rarely assumes the risk of allowing for any kind of court of appeals. This dynamic can play out at multiple levels: the way a municipal bureaucracy treats neighborhood development, or "cost cutters" approach to Federal agencies, to say nothing of armies and wars. That artistic situation could have been managed earlier and better and the harsh, post-performance firing avoided. Invoking outrage was collateral damage, as was the professional integrity I sacrificed while striving for approval of more senior peers. Soldier on.
