KONINKLIJKE LUCHTVAART MAATSCHAPPIJ

The literal translation for the above Dutch words is "Royal Aviation Company" or, as it is better known, "KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines". This is the Company that I had decided to join. As you will recall from the previous blog, Dolf Bulterman, my friend from KLM, had suggested that I apply for a position with his Company as it was opening a sales office in Hartford. I did apply, and had to take a barrage of tests to ensure my ability to fill the Sale Manager Job, which I was applying for. I took the tests in New York, and returned home to Hartford, to wait for a call from KLM regarding the test results. It was an anxious time…

I had been back at work in my Eastern job for almost a week, when I received a call from KLM telling me that the results of my test were favorable and that they had an opening for me in Hartford. It seems that the Sales Manager's position had been filled, however they expected other management openings. In the meantime, would I accept a temporary Sales Representative position, right there, in Hartford? The salary KLM had offered me would remain the same. They asked me to let them know my answer by the following Monday. Helen's position was that I stay with Eastern Air Lines. I decided that in spite of her objections, I would have much better opportunities with a larger international airline.

The next day I called KLM and told them that I would accept the position. I told them that I wanted to give Eastern a two week notice of resignation, to which they agreed. On the following day I presented my resignation to Eastern. Holt Shipman, my Eastern boss, was not very happy, and it did not take long before the Regional Manager was on the phone asking me to reconsider. In many ways it became a difficult task to explain why I was doing this: I had a very happy relationship with my superiors and 13 years of seniority. I felt that after that length of time, with a growing company, I should have progressed further up the ladder. In any event, as much as I liked my bosses, and the Company, I was moving on. I must confess that, at that moment, even I was not one hundred percent sure I had made the right move. It's a little frightening when you're married with three young children, especially when your wife thinks you're crazy.

Two weeks later, at the new KLM office in the Statler Hilton Hotel, I met John Wold, my KLM Regional Manager, and my new District Manager, Jan Van Eckeren. There was a staff of four people working in the ticket office. John Wold had driven up from New York to welcome me. I filled out the required paper work and he was going to take back to New York to put it in my file. Wold, Van Eckeren, and I had lunch, and they spent a couple of hours telling me some of the background of KLM's operations in the USA. Van Eckren was a new District Manager. He had been a Sales Rep. in the New York Regional. Since he was new to the Connecticut area and I had been working the Hartford area for several years, he asked that I help him get acquainted. By the end of the day I felt very much at home. John Wold seemed like a very nice person. Since it was late afternoon he invited me to join him at the hotel bar where we could have some private conversation.

John had brought with him the report on my tests, which he wanted me to read. He could not give it to me to keep as it would go into my file in the Personnel Dept. in New York. It was about three or four pages long and covered a wide range of opinions as to my abilities and future possibilities. From what I remember, it was very positive and implied that I would
make an excellent Manager. John told me that they don't normally let their employees read their test results. He asked that I keep it confidential. I was very happy that he had done so as I was much surer I had made the right decision in coming to work for this KLM.