That left me with only one option: going to the head of ADP (he'd be the CIO today). I started reciting the litany of ways Naomi was driving me crazy, which I intended as a warm-up to asking for a transfer. Before I got too far, he started telling me all the things that Naomi was doing that were driving him crazy. "And that," he said, "is why I need you to take over as group manager."

Hmm. That hadn't been where I was going when I stopped by. What about my lack of experience? Nope, my weeks as temporary manager showed I was qualified. The users liked me, nobody wanted to deal with Naomi, and he was putting me in charge, effective Monday. Naomi was being moved to "special projects."

Aiee! But that was that. I ended up rolling out PCs to our regional offices and diffusing them through headquarters. It really was an opportunity to excel. And it was deeply satisfying. Who would have guessed?

But I swear, taking over was the last thing I had in mind.