Amaka Benjamin is a beautiful and hardworking employee, who worked for a multinational company. She is known for her meticulous work and her ability to manage complex projects. However, her immediate boss, Tunji Benson, was not as competent. He often delegated tasks to Amaka that were beyond her official responsibilities, relying on her to cover up his deficiencies.
In the midst of all of that, he was low-key envious of her even though he was her immediate boss. Amaka had some intimidating credentials and years of experience, and even though she never wore it on her sleeves, he was still threatened. There were times she would greet him and he would not respond. This never stopped her from being efficient at work. She was often frustrated at his actions but kept enduring it.
There was a project given to him to do by the MD, he passed it on to her and she did a good job and sent back to him. When he went to present it, he did not go with her, neither did he ask her for clarifications. He went alone. When the MD began to ask him questions, he could not explain. He went back to his office angry and asked to see her immediately.
“Amaka, so your plan was to embarrass me, it happened, are you happy now?” He asked her.
Confused, she responded, “Sir, I don’t understand.”
“Oh please, cut out the pretence. The MD asked me questions and I goofed.”
“I had thought you were going to ask me for clarifications sir and when you didn’t, I presumed you understood it clearly.”
“Why didn’t you ask me Amaka? Why?”
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Amaka was confused. She didn’t know if she was to apologise for something she didn’t do wrong or to gather the courage to, for the first time, yell at him and tell him she was done with his bullying.
As she contemplated, she didn’t know when she said sorry and hurriedly walked out of the office. She went straight to the ladies and cried for 15 minutes.
She did her best to ensure she was looking okay before going back to her office.
One day, Tunji made a significant error on a high-profile project. He incorrectly estimated the project’s budget, resulting in a major financial loss for the company. Fearing the repercussions, he shifted the blame onto Amaka. He argued that she was in charge of the project and had made the budgeting error.
Without a thorough investigation, the company’s Board of Directors accepted Tunji’s explanation and decided to let Amaka go, citing her “mistake” as a severe detriment to the company’s financial stability. Amaka was shocked and hurt, but there was little she could do given the circumstances.
She was unemployed for a while but she didn’t lose hope. She used the time to improve her skills further, acquire new ones, and prepare for better opportunities.
Eventually, she was hired by a rival company, in a higher position with better pay and responsibilities. Her skills and experience quickly made her a valuable asset to the new company.
Meanwhile, back at her former place of work, several projects started to falter without her meticulous oversight. This prompted an internal audit, during which Tunji’s incompetencies were revealed. The audit discovered that he had made a crucial budgeting error which Amaka had been blamed for. Further, it was apparent that Tunji Benson had been covering up his mistakes and inadequacies by shifting his work and subsequent errors onto Amaka.
Realizing their mistake, the Board of Directors decided to call Amaka back, offering her not only her old position, but also a promotion and a raise.
She politely declined their offer. She had found a better work environment where her skills and contributions were respected and rewarded. She said, “Sometimes when one door closes, another one opens. And often, it leads to a better place.”
The loss became her new company’s gain. Amaka continued to excel in her new position, leading her team to make significant contributions to the company’s growth and success. And so, Amaka moved on, turning a challenging situation into an opportunity for growth and advancement.
