When you occupy a job where there is already a strong culture, you can expect that upon leaving, no matter how hard you tried to bring about a change, the the old culture will creep back in.
That is what will happen when I leave my present client. I can see it already.
The I can do it coach, heroic culture is seeping into the ground I cleared for my successor.
The CFO will step back in and become the supposed leader of HR. He has not made move to bring in another consultant to take my place.
The HR Specialist will not really have day to day help (because in reality do we really need two people when we can work one to death) and she will gradually assume the same role that my predecessor had. In fact the predecessor is coming back to show her how to do stuff. I told the specialist not to let her pull her back to the old model but I can already see it happening.
The old alliance between payroll and HR are being repaired. I ripped it asunder because it fed on itself but not "asunder" enough for it not to begin to come together again in the sea of paper strategy that burned out the last HR person.
It is a bit like abandoning the city to the jungle. Come back in a decade or so and you'll find the vines and crawlers have covered over much of the stone, reclaiming the buildings for the jungle. In time you'll never know that the city was actually there.
My presence will be like a hand in a pail of water. It will leave little of no imprint. It also gives me permission to leave early. The 17th is a handy date but if things go south as I believe they will, then I will ride out of Dodge one morning when least expected.
They will hate that but at the same time they will be relieved.
Note to myself: This is the first place I have worked as a consultant where it seems to be a crime to take lunch.
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