The Whitlarks have quit!

December 2006. Just days before the district's Christmas Party. I was doing a Saar's Marketplace whole store inventory when I received an unconfirmed report that our District Manager has finally quit. I was dumbfounded and local employees were utterly surprised about the news. Nobody had thought that this glorious district will eventually end soon with the resignation of the top management. And nobody had predicted that our DM will end his long-held career this way!

Finally, our DM has announced his resignation at the Christmas party. It was the biggest surprise of the party. I was sitting at the back, just being quiet and began to entertain the basic core of the issue: What prompted him to resign? After establishing the district as a formidable force to reckon, he simply abandoned this cause just like that? Reasons behind his resignation MUST be very compelling. Then I began to list some possible reasons:

1. I think that after serving RGIS for more than 40 long years, its was probably time for Ron to retire and have life of his own. He made sure that he gave a positive and lasting impression to D411 by making it as one of its glorious moments but with the resignation in mind. It was a graceful exit I thought. He made sure that it will be a legacy to leave the company. And it was probably one of the key points he may have pondered and seriously considered while he and his family went on a vacation in Colorado. I am sure it was not an easy decision to make.
2. Secondly, I think that its time for him to concentrate more on his family and his marriage. One of the persisiting reasons why a lot of married Area Managers, District Managers and Regional Managers quit OR step down is because of issues with family not being taken cared of, or lack of material and quality time with them. And Ron was not an exception.
3. Another possible issue was the fact that Jean, (Ron's wife) is having problems with her parents due to health issues. According to her, her parents need some care. 

He may have other reasons that I was not aware of. But whatever they are, it is none of my business. All I can say is that he made the district a better place to work for everybody.