Old Friends!

Retirement Celebration

I decided to take a voluntary redundancy package from my longtime employer Qualcomm almost 10 years ago, when the company announced it would have to let people go. I was ignored during the mandatory 60 days they had to keep me employed. It was like I had become a leper. When I was at my best, there would be a line outside my office, people wishing to consult with me.

Many others were in the same boat. The biggest difference between us was that most of them had no choice as they were laid off. However, we were all treated the same way – as if we didn't exist at all.

After many years of hard work and consistently long hours, this is what happened – they didn't care about us – we were discarded. This experience gave me a new understanding – don't believe the corporate stories, they're not for your benefit, but for the God of Profit!

Although my company ignored me, my valuable friends in the company did the complete opposite! Four of them organized a get-together, and one invited my wife and me to his house for a barbecue. I didn't know anyone else had been invited.

I had no expectation whatsoever of the party they had organized for me. We had a wonderful celebration, reminiscing together and sharing stories both serious and humorous. They also gave me valuable gifts, appropriate for my retirement – a gift voucher from my favorite outdoor equipment store, for example, as they knew I was an avid hiker.

Encore!

I received an invitation from the same friend again last week, 10 years after his first invitation. A friend from our group (Liam) was visiting from Atlanta, where he now lives. So three couples would be present out of the five who came together 10 years ago. The other friends no longer live in the area – one works for Amazon in Seattle, Washington, and the other is retired in Morro Bay, California. This gathering wouldn't be in my honor this time, but celebrating Liam's visit.

It was nice to come together for a late breakfast of delicious Indian food followed by ice cream. Liam and his wife are considering relocating back to San Diego. Although they're happy in Atlanta, their son lives in San Diego, and they would like to be closer to him.

Liam was laid off from Qualcomm a year and a half ago. They let go one of the most talented engineers I've ever met with, male or female, and someone who was extremely loyal to Qualcomm. After that, he has no loyalty left for the company, and is looking for positions in other companies.

So only one of us – our host, Vijay – still works at Qualcomm currently, and is doing very well there. Long may it last!

This time again, as we enjoyed cold drinks, we went down memory lane. The feelings regarding Qualcomm weren't as positive as they were 10 years ago.

Liam's son works in the same team as Vijay. Vijay is a vice president and in charge of the team, as it happens. Con (Liam's son) told us that out of a dozen engineers who started with him at the company more than three years ago, only he remains.

Leadership Secrets

During our conversation, we began discussing why so many engineers were leaving the company and why Con himself hadn't left.

Why did they leave? There was always too much work to do. And their managers never expressed appreciation for them.

And why didn't Con leave? The culture in his team wasn't the same. It was a wonderful culture.

Why? Vijay and Liam said that I had implemented that culture many years ago, and it's still there. Liam and Vijay learned the leadership style from me, and they've continued it to this day. They asked me to say a few words about it.

I said that the most important thing when you're a leader is the people themselves, and how you treat them. Put trust in them, let them run with it, and they'll do their utmost. Nobody likes to have someone constantly looking over their shoulder. Be available as a leader all the time to answer questions and solve problems, and you'll be amazed at the results you'll see. When you respect your employees, they'll respect you too, and you'll have a strong team with staff members working hand in hand.

They completely agreed with me and said it was a great pity there weren't more leaders of the same mindset.

I was surprised and delighted that they all had that feeling. It was so nice that my friends told me how they felt. I felt that we, including myself, had made important differences that are still visible in the company ten years after I left.

What differences?

• A difference by working together instead of being separated from each other.
• A difference through developing pioneering technology – we put high-speed broadband on the smartphone for the first time, a historic achievement.
• A difference for Qualcomm. Although we received no recognition for it as we were leaving, Qualcomm succeeded tremendously with that new technology.

But despite that corporate indifference at the end, I am still grateful for the leadership of the founder, Irwin Jacobs, in the early days before Qualcomm became a corporate behemoth. He had faith in us and gave us the space and resources to do excellent work. Wasn't it from that wonderful man that I learned my own leadership style!

At the end of the day, I clearly understood one thing. While companies forget their employees, even before they leave, the opposite is true regarding your true friends you met there. These enduring friendships—that began in the workplace but lasted long after—are the most valuable gifts of all.