I Didn't Want the Job

  We have a new manager in the pharmacy. The former manager had an opportunity to work at a store closer to where he lives and took it. I can't blame him. I live a mile and a half from where I work and like it a lot. Who wouldn't want to cut down on commuting time?
  Several people have asked where our former manager is. I've told them and talked about our new manager. A few people seemed a little upset. I can understand. Change is hard and the former manger was well liked. A few of them were upset because they thought I should be the new manager. A couple of them have asked me why.
  The answer is simple. I didn't want the job.
   I know that is not the right attitude to take these days. you are supposed to be ambitious and want to move up on the ladder. You're supposed to want to be the one in charge, the big cheese, the leader of the pack. There is no prestige, honor and sometimes no respect for wanting to be otherwise.
  Be that as it may, I didn't want the job.
  I have managed before. I was an acting pharmacy manager at the second place I worked at. The pharmacy manager went on a maternity leave. The other staff pharmacist had retired and had not been replaced. The first day I worked as a manager corporate had forgotten to send a relief pharmacist to help me. It was a Monday. When I noticed the omission and called corporate to ask for help I was told that there was no one available. I wound up working the day alone with only tech help. We did over 300 prescriptions that day. I did not get to eat lunch or supper. I closed the pharmacy an hour early because I was so far behind in my work.
  I was sent whatever relief help corporate could scrounge up. One guy kept calling me "young lady". I was much younger than him, but I was also his supervisor. I finally told him that he could call me Sophie or Miss Story. I didn't care which one, but I wasn't going to answer to anything else. He started calling me Soph. I managed for eight weeks while covering that maternity leave. I had to spend most of that time in the pharmacy as the relief help couldn't run the computer system and couldn't deal with any problems. Once the manger came back I asked for a long weekend off. I was tired. I got one day.
   I was also an acting manager at the next place I worked. This time the manager had quit. I was covering until a new manger was hired. It was a slower store, so it was better than the first time. Still I was happy when the new manger started.
   I had an opportunity to mange a new pharmacy for a new chain that was opening. I took the job. I thought maybe I would like managing if I was not an acting manager. I learned quickly that there were a few things about the job that I was not told. One of them was that I was expected to do my own advertising. Corporate wanted me to go out into the neighborhoods around my store to leave flyers and talk to people. The problem is that the neighborhood around my store was not a safe one. I didn't do it. My tech got fired for some reason and I was the last one to know. I decided that I wanted to step down and allow my staff pharmacist the chance to manage. What I didn't know was that she had been offered the job at managing at another store. I was the last person to find out. For the last few months of that job I worked alone.
   Then I started working for the company I word for now. A few years back my manager was cutting some branches from a tree in his yard. He fell off the ladder breaking his leg and destroying his knee. He was out for most of the summer. I was acting pharmacy manager. Thankfully I had a good staff. I was sent good relief help. The bad part was that we were in the midst of a file buy. A local pharmacy had closed and we had bought their files. We were busy with the new customers. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown that summer. I was never so glad to see someone as I was when the manager came hobbling back.
  I swore I would NEVER manage again. Not for one day, not for one minute. I didn't like it. I wasn't good at it and I wasn't going to do it. My level of competence is as staff pharmacist and nothing will make me stray from it.
  I think it is unfortunate that the attitude these days is that you must be a leader. Not everyone is cut out for that role. Some of us are good at supporting the leader and doing what needs to be done. Not wanting to move up should not be seen as laziness or lack of ambition. It should be seen as a realization of what you talents are and how they can be best used in your work.