The Worst Leader I’ve Met
Going back to the times I enjoy so much writing about; The Mountains.
I left a section just reserved to a person that incredibly damaged the way I felt about work and leadership. A lady, called by the name Vera. She would love the workers to call her “Dona Vera”, if you translate it to English it will be something like “the boss”.
Here I will call you Vera. Vera was a woman in her thirties, moved to Switzerland from Portugal in her early twenties, and after a few years of hard work she achieved the position Governanta, which means the manager of the housekeeping team.
Installed the fear
When I arrived there, my fellow workers advised me for the rage, work ethic and loud voice this woman had. That scared me a little bit but moving to a different country for the first time was already scary enough.
My first day of work, they gave me a uniform, cell phone service and a briefing of the hotel story and work ethic. Everything normal until we started working.
The phone call
It started busy already, a lot of people checking in, and trying to rush into rooms that were still not profoundly cleaned. I was running as fast as I could, and yes, I was running to prove my point and show them my worth. The cell phone started ringing. It was her. Vera.
“Hello, Pedro here,” I said already trembling my voice not knowing what to expect.
“I know it’s you, that’s why I am fucking calling you…” Vera replied with anger on her voice.
“Ohhh sorry …” I apologized without even knowing what was happening.
“Why didn’t you still move the luggage from this fucking room? You want to go back home tomorrow!” Vera screamed while hanging up the phone on my face.
I was about to explain while cleaning the sweat on my forehead, but she was long gone. She left me speechless; my thoughts started to flow like a “hurricane”. Emotions went wild; I felt anger, concern, sad, fear. I didn’t know what to expect.
I kept on working with that woman voice on my head and thinking about what would happen when she confronts me. Stay calm, don’t react with anger; you need this job; those were the sentences that I repeatedly said to myself till we cross paths again.
There she was
There she was, with a face completely red, her nostrils wide open while staring with her eyes barely opened to a list with room numbers.
“Hello, sorry about the other …” I was trying to explain while she interrupted me.
“I don’t care, and we are too busy now … Just GO!” Vera screamed from her lungs.
It was my first day, and someone was yelling at me like I just committed a murderer. It was a sign that I should maybe rethink my journey in that hotel, but I am not known to be a quitter. She was my boss for three years.
In those three years, I noticed the scheme she pulled in that hotel.
The recruitment
Vera was the one hiring in Portugal, in the small village she was born. She was building a massive mansion in that village on the worth of millions, using it twice per year, for almost a total of four weeks. Vera was selling an idea, Switzerland = big house = fancy car = success. So, she would go there with a few job proposals, and there would be lines of young, lost girls wanting the same as she had.
In the end, this was just a manipulative scheme to hire fragile, disorientated girls, that would obey and allow her rage and anger without complaining.
In three years, I saw girls arriving there with a dream and perfectly healthy and leaving ultimately soul crushed and ten kgs lighter. A few of them would say something and try to complain to the director of the hotel with their poor English. But in the end, the director couldn’t care less as long as the service was fast and efficient.
My awareness
For years I believed the working system was like this, companies want us to be fast, efficient and our emotions are worthless. Just work.
I talked with my parents about this situation, but they wouldn’t understand. Life outside is hard, they thought. I don’t blame them.
Vera, wherever you are right now, I hope life takes good care of you and taught you valuable lessons.
You believed leadership is a form of creating fear, and respect is shown by screaming and throwing things. You didn’t know more.
To finish this article, I will quote Sheryl Sandberg — COO of Facebook who became a true inspiration.
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence”.
