My boss messaged me about a month ago as he was editing one of my reports to tell me that he had “completed the most complex formatting feat of all time” in Microsoft Word, as he probably felt his talents were going unnoticed.
Naturally, I then e-mailed most of the people that report to him (subject line: “best idea ever”) and got them all to pitch in for a giant custom trophy in recognition of his feat. Yes, that is a golden computer on top.
We had to assemble the trophy in secret and then hide it under a sheet in the storage closet. This was weeks ago.
We were finally able to take this bad boy out of hiding today as our boss walked away from his desk. He came back to me blaring “Eye of the Tiger” and all of us slow-clapping. He said it was the highlight of his career so far and eventually laugh-cried into a nearby hoodie. Then he left abruptly and sent a thank you e-mail:
“Gotta leave early to compose myself…thanks! 12 years of formatting pays off!”
Valuable lessons from today that I will teach my future children or cats:
- Sometimes it takes 12 years to get recognized for something.
- Always take jokes as far as possible.
- People love trophies. Three feet max though. Let’s not be ridiculous here.
Big Red's Funhouse 