DennisMe Actually Funny Story,

I was working in San Diego at the request of the US Postal Inspection Service on a Training course I wrote Deliver Operations Efficiency Analysis for Postal Inspector field operations training. Two days before training the trainer shattered his elbow so they called me in to pull the training together. Basically the program has two days of intense classroom training then a daily briefing and training period. The inspectors team up for a week with a local manager on the workroom floor of a delivery operation to learn the “business end” of the operation. Sounds easy the hard part is “Local Trust” the inspectors are not cops when on the floor during training. The managers and carriers are not suspects subject to arrest during the training.

It is like training a cat and mouse to play well and trust each other for a week. So I had to gain the trust of the local managers to be open and honest with the inspectors during the training, yet make sure that they are in fact not doing anything wrong that could get them in trouble. I had two days to learn all the dirty secrets.

There were two senior inspectors from DC, Bob and Chuck, that managed the training and I reported to them when assigned to the team. We meet in the Local Domicile office for the Inspection Service. I needed a place to work so the local Postal Inspectors decided set me up with against the Inspector in Charge of the local domicile. I was not an Inspector and so “they” (hard liners) always give me the “side eye” even though I was working for the leaders out of Washington DC perhaps even more of reason for the side eye. I was given inspector in charge’s desk to work at, later to find that nobody was to ever use his office, his rule. Bob, Chuck, and I laid out our plan for the morning each with a different direction, agenda, and decided to meet back at the domicile at 1:00. They had given me the code to punch into the cyber lock to get into the domicile in case we did not return at the same time.

The meeting with the first manager (who was identified by his managers as the sharpest delivery manager) to gain his trusts worked quite well. The guy was having problems with the computer program that managers used and it was pretty new at the time. His district person was at wits end and after about 20 minutes of trouble shooting put him on hold. The guy turned to me and threw his free hand up in the air. While he was on hold I fixed the problem for him in about 3 minutes while telling him I see the same problem all the time in my unit. At that point the manager said to me, “You must be a real manager then.” I asked what he meant by that, not that I did not already know. He said well we thought you were a plant undercover or something working with the Inspectors and wanting to be in the units. I assured him that this was the real deal, just training, I’m just a manager, been a union officer, letter carrier, and seen it all. In less then an hour I had made my point and made a local trust. By luck I finished early.

I was punching the code into the cyber lock I was startled when a hand grabbed my hand. I turned around not knowing what to expect, but ready and I saw this dude late 50’s about my height with a square jaw clinched tight. Using my arm as a fulcrum he slid between the door and me. At the same time words managed to come out of that tight jaw to the effect, You must be that manager from West Palm Beach, this area is restricted for Inspection Service Personnel Only, slam went the door, he was inside I was in the hall still. Now this is the first time I ever meet man and I was warned he was an butt, I just did not know how big. I went back to hotel ordered a pitcher of margaritas and worked from the bar - made a great office worked for me. The evening Bob and Chuck asked where I went they never saw me at 1:00. I asked if they heard what happed seems not a word was said to them by the inspector in charge. That is when we found out about the can’t use my office rule, ect…Bob was pissed off.

Seems Bob has some pull – the next morning the inspector in charge personally opened the door for me and offered me his office for my private use and got me coffee, damn I wonder which taste worst those crow feathers or feet? I was real thirsty for coffee that morning. The local guys had a whole new respect for the program and me. They thought they had pulled a good one on me the Florida Southern Boy and a really funny one on the boss. And now I’m sitting at his desk, even put my feet up on it once and have him fetchin’ coffee for me. When they steal a peek I’d give em a smile ya’ all.

After my work mission was completed - I met up in the Mohave Dessert with some old US Navy SeeBee buddies from my military days one of them had the land yachts. I had a lot of negitive energy to burn off so sailing at 40+mph was just the ticket! I'll have to look for the pics pre-digital days.
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