IBM
0224 Joining Biomedical
Having had problems with Keith, my manager in the GSD marketing group, and not least having non-concurred against most of the management team, I was not surprised when he volunteered me for a new job in GSD. Not unsurprisingly, this turned out to be one of those jobs that nobody wanted. This was understandable since it was totally outside the promotion line and clearly was not one that would not be well supported by management. In this respect at least they were wrong. This job was to be the IBM Biomedical representative in the UK, though in fact its job description was to be much more like being the divisional manager for Biomedical in the UK -- albeit the staff in the UK was just one.
You will also expect that I was not very happy about this. Nobody is happy when they feel that they are being pushed into position job because they're not wanted. Having said that I had to go along with the process. Accordingly I found myself in Paris, in Avenue Wagram just by the Arc de Triomphe, where IBM European headquarters had a annex on the first floor of an office building. In a couple of offices there, just a few weeks before IBM Biomedical Group (Europe) had started. I was interviewed by the Len Naroskin, who was the general manager of IBM Biomedical in Europe, such as that was, and also by Mike Martin who was his assistant -- and scheduled to be my competitor in the UK. They did their best to impress me with the potential, and to persuade me to join. They were desperate for bodies since almost every country had exactly the same problem; nobody wanted the job. It became obvious that Mike Martin was intent on becoming my boss; whether in Paris or in the UK. Needless to say I was not terribly impressed with any of this and returned to the UK to report just this.
It was at this stage that John Steele, the personnel director, involved himself. Basically, he asked what I needed; and I poured my heart out.
The net result was that the offer was made worth my while. I was worried about going back on quota, that is on commission, so the deal quite simply was that -- as line sales -- I had to be on quota, but my quota guarantee would be 90 percent and my salary would be uplifted by 10 percent. This meant that I was losing absolutely nothing in salary, and potentially had 10 percent extra to gain -- which I did frequently.
This still left the thorny problem of who my boss was going to be, and this was the only time that I ever got to appoint my boss. In GSD staff I had got on very well with Derek Haslam who was the head of this; and accordingly I insisted that Derek was my boss. Thus, all unknowing, Derek inherited me. It was one of the best moves by me.
I was also worried about whether I could face the medical environment, which is anathema to some people -- especially in this case where it was blood processing equipment. So all sorts of further guarantees were provided and I eventually succumbed to the pressure and agreed to join Biomedical.
Thus, within a few weeks, I found myself on a plane to New York; the first time I had ever been to the USA. In some respects this was, in 1978, most people's dream. Very few people went to the States in those days. Accordingly it was something of a thrill, sitting in the jumbo crossing the Atlantic. When we arrived in New York, at JFK airport, it was a glorious cloudless day and I looked from the steps of plane across to the horizon; to see Manhattan silhouetted against the sky. It was a thrilling sight, and one that I had wanted to see for a long time. It was only later that my family, when they went across with me on holiday to California, first went to the States.
I caught the helicopter shuttle across to the airport in New Jersey where I was scheduled to pick up the car. Again it was a thrill a minute. Flying in a helicopter over the skyscrapers of New York was wonderful. In those days they had the twin rotor helicopters, which later on were banned because they crashed too often. But on those first few visits they offered marvellous views of New York.
Landing at Newark airport, I picked up my car, the first time I had ever driven a left-hand drive car. To make life easier I chose an automatic, but that actually caused the initial major problems. I drove tentatively down to the New Jersey Turnpike and just as I was going on to it I decided I wanted change gear. But of course I couldn't do that and pressed the brakes hard instead of the clutch and the car nearly nosedived into the tarmac. That taught me a very quick lesson. Thereafter I was happy driving in American traffic. The New Jersey Turnpike was astounding, with six lanes, split into two roads of three lanes each. On it I I drove down to the Princeton area where I was going to stay at the Hilton and, surprisingly, I found this very easily
As it was the first time in the US, I staggered into the Hilton Inn with my time clock five hours out of kilter. I went to my room which was quite comfortable. And then I realised that I was incredibly thirsty. No problem at all, since there were drinks machines on every floor; except that they only took coins, and of course all I had was notes. After an hour or so searching I found someone who could change my dollar notes and I was able to quench what was by then raging thirst. This is one problem the inveterate traveller cannot avoid. I have lost count of the number of times I needed change when I arrived in a new country and could find nobody to change my notes!
That evening I went down to dinner in the hotel's dining room. Thus, I had my first experience of American dining. As I sat down the water boy was at my elbow filling my class with iced water. The service was superb and food when it came was also superb. I should add that later on, when the management changed, everything deteriorated and it was just as awful as it was good at this time. But then it really was good. In particular I ordered a steak, which the Americans do beautifully, and it was superb.
The following morning I found my way across to the factory, where the Biomedical HQ was. This was unusual in as much as headquarters were normally set in separate sites which were just offices. But I rather liked that. I was always interested in production and this was a chance to get hands-on and meet the production people.
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