The Story of a Crook – And How I Punished Him

The Sower - Montreal

Background:

I attended the management course at Hotel School with a fellow, Peter van V…, who was a star student – he was chosen to work in the best hotels. Many years later, when I was a successful entrepreneur, he showed up, down and out, and asked me for a commission-only sales job. He admitted that he was actually a recovering alcoholic and technically under house arrest for some swindle or other, but he had “found Jesus” and just needed a chance to get back on his feet. Played on my sympathy.

What Happened:

I trained him, gave him some inventory to sell, and let him loose. Soon, of course, he sold the inventory and hid away with the money – $1,500. So I called his parents and his pastor and his wife and told them what he was up to, and let them know that my next call would be to the police should Peter not pay me.

I received a call from him pretty soon – he was shocked and dismayed – in fact indignant that I would tell his pastor, wife, and parents about his mischief, of course, threatened to beat me up, and arranged a time to come and pay me. I told him I looked forward to seeing him try to beat my up, and of course when he showed up he somehow forgot his threats, paid me, and slinked off home. He would not have paid me had I not leveraged his family and pastor to force his hand.

How I Punished Him:

A few months later, Pedro, a coaching client of mine who owned a large hotel complex called the Farm Inn, told me that he was overjoyed to have discovered a new General Manager who would be starting work at the end of the week. Turned out it was – yes, you guessed it – Peter. I told Pedro that if he wanted to place his beloved money-machine hotel in the hands of a lying thief recovering alcoholic who was “technically” under house arrest, he was most welcome. So of course Pedro thanked me for the heads up and stopped dear Peter dead in his tracks. An alchoholic thief shouldn’t be working in a hotel.

Peter again called and threatened me. I told him I was looking forward to his visit. He never showed up, of course. What goes around comes around – I don’t forget and I don’t forgive. “Some think the eagle weak, and easy to bring to heel. The eagle’s wings are silken, but his claws are made of steel.”

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