Monday, December 30/19
Over the course of the past 10-14 days, I've had a couple of chats with people at work around some opportunities that have been brought to my attention and these have translated into some conversations with my kids and ex-wife.
Maybe a little background will add some clarity to things.
I work as a Business Analyst (BA) for a large company that is the leader in its field and has operations around the world. We've pretty much been in growth mode from day one and continue to pursue business opportunities around the world through both internal and external growth. That's a fancy way of saying we undertake internal projects that we think will continue to enhance our market share and when we come across another company that could meet those needs quicker than we could do so ourselves, well we pursue an acquisition of said companies.
The description Business Analyst is now used in place of Financial Analyst these days and pretty much means I get tasked with fixing things that don't work or seeing options that might make things work better. Over the past 11 months, I've worked on everything from preparing How-To-Guides for the creation of new product SKUs and associated accounting codes to reconciling the two ERP systems we use to understanding proposed provincial sales tax changes and how we are going to implement them in our primary ERP so as to remain regulatory compliant.
I can't say I've had a dull day yet and that is pretty cool. My mandate is to support the entire finance team from Accounts Receivable to Accounts Payable to Fixed Assets to Treasury to Financial Reporting to Inventory Costing to Planning & Analysis. Along the way, I've learned quite a bit and made some great connections.
One of these connections was with the former director of International Reporting & Fixed Assets, we both started the same day and went through our orientation together and became friends in the process. Karla recently changed positions and moved into Business Integration after the International Reporting team was moved under technical accounting in order to facilitate a faster consolidation of our worldwide results.
Back before the Christmas party, I was walking past her office when she called me in and asked me to close the door so we could talk. I didn't think too much of her request as we'd been having on and off talks about the fixed assets manager and his inability to lead her old team without throwing his staff under the bus when things he presented were incorrect due to his own laziness.
As I sat down she was typing a search in the company opportunities database and asked me if I was happy in my current role. I thought about it for a moment and told her I wasn't unhappy, which made her laugh and accuse me of dodging the question.
I admitted to being a bit frustrated at the group's inability to find a 2nd BA to relieve some of the tasks I deal with and free me up for some upcoming projects, explaining that while I'm busy every day that it sort of feels like I'm not really getting anything done. The problem we are having with finding that 2nd BA is that they need a solid grounding in accounting and some exposure to ERP systems, we can find people with one side of the equation but not the other side, to make matters worse I've been flat out told that when I review the resumes I'm to try and imagine if the candidate could be another me, that's tough as I've got a tonne of experience covering everything from basic accounting to due diligence review and consolidated forecasting, not something many people are going to walk in off the street with these days, things are at the point where I think we've decided to try and find a junior analyst and just mold them into what we want, that presents problems as I'm going to be the person supervising them and I really hate that part of my job.
Karla turned her laptop around and showed me the results of her search - Senior Project Manager in the Business Integration group. She said when she saw this posting I was the first person to come to mind and she wanted to let me know about the opening. I read the description and it sounded pretty interesting. dealing with bringing recent acquisitions into the fold and making sure they were properly set up with regards to facilities, IT support, human resources, and the conversion of accounting systems to our own. But one thing caught my eye.....the position is in Germany!
She smiled and said she'd already mentioned me to her boss and was told to have me review the position and contact her directly to discuss the opportunity if I was interested.
I said I'd look things over and consider it. As I left her office I passed by the workstation where the Business Integration executive assistant sits and Rene smiled at me and asked if my passport was up to date and should she send me the package they had about living and working in Germany.
I frowned and said she was getting way ahead of herself and to please keep this on the quiet as the last thing I wanted was gossip to spread about me leaving before I'd even had a real chance to consider it and talk things over with my own Vice President and Director.
I thought about the whole situation over the next few days and decided to get my kid's thoughts on the whole opportunity. Before I even asked either of them what they thought about the possibility of me moving to Europe for at least a year I sort of had it in my mind how each would react.
My son would be supportive and see the opportunities if offered for a visit or two and maybe taking a side trip to Barcelona to see his beloved FCB (Football Club Barcelona). My daughter would be aghast that I would even be considering any move that would take me away from my grandson and soon to arrive granddaughter (Feb 2020), regardless of any opportunities it might present for travel to see me in Europe.
I broached the subject with my son first while he was hanging out with his girlfriend and here is part of how things went......
Me: So I've been approached about the possibility of taking on a new position at work.
Son: That's fantastic as I know you've been kind of frustrated lately, you don't look excited. what's wrong?
Me: I am excited about the position as it's not even in finance and would really push my boundaries but there's a catch, I'd have to move job locations.
Son: That's not too bad, I'm guessing this means you'd be working down in (left blank on purpose) since that's where you guys are headquartered right? It's only an hour or so away and I could still commute to Carleton or stay mom's during the week and see you on weekends
Me: Unfortunately, this move would be a little farther than (blank) and would actually mean I'd be moving to Frankfurt Germany for probably at least a year
At this point, the look on his face was if I'd just confessed to dropping puppies down a well and I thought for a moment he might cry.
He looked from me to his girlfriend and back to me before he responded
Son: But we'll never see each other, who is going to keep me calm during exams, we've never gone more than two weeks without seeing one another dad
I walked across the kitchen to him and gave him a big hug and told him he didn't need me around as much, that this just completed semester what his best ever and he hadn't even needed me to talk him down stress and anxiety wise during exams.
Son: Maybe not but the comfort and security of knowing I could just call you or come by is always there for me dad.
Me: I'm just exploring the option Bagoo and still have to talk to your sister about it so nothing is set in stone.
He gave me a rueful smile like he thought it was a done deal, which it totally isn't, and went to drive his girlfriend home. When he got back he told me I should do what was best for me and he was sorry for reacting the way he did, that his girlfriend had given him an earful on the drive to her house for his being so selfish and only thinking of himself given how I've always been there for him.
I hear the words he tells me but also know in my heart he's not thrilled with the thought.
I went to see my daughter on Boxing day and told her about the possibility and was prepared for an even more vehemently negative response from her when she totally shocked me by smiling, hugging me, and telling me to go for it, with real happiness for me in her voice.
She asked how long I'd be required to stay in Europe, would I be able to come home when she has her baby, and would she be able to visit me.
I laughed and told her I didn't have any specifics yet as I hadn't even formally put my name forward for consideration but there was no way in hell I wouldn't be coming back to see my little princess when she arrives, I wasn't even sure when I would make the move so I could still be here when she goes into labour.
When I got home I called my ex and asked if she had a few moments to talk and outlined what was going on and the kids' reactions, she laughed and said she wasn't really surprised by how each responded, but that if this is something I was really interested in pursuing then I absolutely should go for it and we'd work with our son to help him deal with it, maybe a trip over to visit after he graduates in May would ease his worries about losing me.
Her main comments were to make sure I got it in writing how long I would be required to stay in the position, what expenses are to be covered off, how often could I come back to Canada on the company's dime, and how this impacts my options since I'd probably be transferred to our European holding company that isn't publicly traded, maybe I'd just be intercompany invoiced from my current company to our Gmbh entity.
So now I've been doing some research on rental costs and how to get around Frankfurt since I won't have a car while I'm there. Scary and interesting rolled into one.
I'd say I'm about 75-25 for making the move depending on what I learn when I decide to formally open discussions with the BI Director and talk to my own Finance Director. I think I might get some pushback about leaving and some kind of counter offer made but that's not what I'm hoping for.
So today when I was in the office dealing with some provincial tax and bottle deposit issues that needed to be resolved before the new year started I was surprised to see a meeting request pop up in my email and calendar from none other than the BI Director, asking if I was available to sit down with her on Monday, January 6th and talk about some opportunities in her group that she's been told by several people I'd be a perfect fit to take on.
So much for Karla and Rene keeping things quiet while I considered my options lol
Now my next issue is when do I disclose my interest to my own VP and her direct boss, our Chief Accounting Officer, and group Sr. Vice President. I've had more dealing with him lately and think he's not going to be too thrilled that there's a possibility that not only do they need to find that 2nd BA but now they need to really find another me.
One funny thing is that I was on a conference call about that tax issue when I was asked to stay on the line when the call wrapped up by Corey, one of the two BA's I replaced when they moved over to the SAP Implementation team. He commented that we hadn't spoken in quite a while and that Mike, the other BA, had also mentioned how I never called them for help anymore, that it seemed like things were going good and he was really happy for me as he knew I sort of struggled grasping all the complexities of the whole manufacturing and retail aspect of our business. That made me feel good as it means I've sort of got this shit covered now, well at least until I actually pull the trigger and maybe move to the BI Group and Europe.
My name is Marcus and it's been an interesting few weeks, to say the least. These are my ongoing adventures in parenting, working, golfing, and dating. Maybe a move to another continent might just be the spark my love life needs :-)
Today's musical suggestion is "O'Fortuna" by The Spiritual Project. Love the drumbeat on this one and hope you do as well, lyrics make me think some kind of cataclysmic event is taking place.
Questions and comments are like air and water to me so don't hesitate to send them to me at ooasm2018@gmail.com
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