"You Can't Take It Personal"

It always amazes me that some people seem to think they can get away with anything forever. Take the ones I had to deal with recently. I’ve got to give them credit, they had to do some serious thinking to figure out what they thought was a foolproof way to supplement their income. What they didn’t know was that there was a series of reports that can be run that would show someone who knew what to look for exactly what was happening. And I knew.

I’ve been with the Hudson’s Bay Company and now The North West Company for over 33 years holding positions from Gas Boy to Office Manager, Store Manager, Field Services Manager, POS Co-ordinator, Auditor, Trainer, Computer Trouble-shooter and a dozen others in between. Right now I call myself a “Pinch Hitter” as whatever needs doing they know they can call me up and I’m on the road the next day to help out wherever I can. What I’m saying is that over the years I’ve seen just about every trick in the book and a few that perhaps a newer person might miss. Heck, I’ve even thought up a few angles myself that we’ve added to the “Watch Out For This” manual.

To make a long story short it took me two days to pinpoint exactly what was being done this time and I spent the next several days building the paperwork and reviewing security tapes. Results… people with a world of potential, limited only by their own choices, now facing possible criminal charges.

Every time this sort of thing happens most people have a tendency to think one thing... “They were stealing from ME!” Well, yes but it probably wouldn’t matter who else was there. If they were going to “borrow” then they would most likely “borrow” from whomever held your position. They have actually only "borrowed" from their own possibilities and future and it’s themselves they have hurt the most. They’ve lost a little bit of their personality, their heart, their image and most of all they’ve added a little bit of blackness to their soul that will forever lessen who they are and could be. It is sad for all of us because maybe we could have done something to help that person before the situation went too far. You do what you can but sometimes there seems to be just too much out there and when it does happen just remember, you can’t take it personal.