Commitment Collection 2- Ignition; Turbo Charged; Pole Position, page 20
part #4 of Commitment Series
“What is his background?”
“Kicked out of home by a drunken and abusive father who tried to stab him, then kicked out of school because he didn’t perform, but he’s a super bright kid, who couldn’t cut a break. He lived and worked the streets hustling for a while. Until he joined us.”
“And he is super bright? I haven’t spoken with him much other than that first day.”
“Seems it, and Jessie is happy with him. He was great on TV today. Considering he’d only had half-a-day’s media training with Jessie and then was slapped in front of live TV that was being broadcast not only nationwide, but internationally, he nailed it. He was nervous at the start, but once he warmed up he was a dream. He stole the limelight, which was the idea, but he handled it. I’m pleased with him.”
“I don’t know. There’s something odd about that kid.”
“Perhaps. When I first met him, something about him bothered me too, but he is rough around the edges. I think it’s just that. We’re not used to it, but we were looking for someone who needed a break. And he’s it. People, whatever their age, who’ve never been given the chances they should have had. Their scars cut deep, and we need to wait for them to heal.”
“I guess you’re right.” I’m not so sure though. Not that I think that Axel isn’t good at his job, nor that his past hasn’t had an impact on his personality, but whatever is going on with him has me on edge.
“Anyway, enough of Axel. How was your day? Tell me about the progress.”
I update him on all things related to the house. How we’re almost done with the building works, and how the reconstruction is starting next week. “The place looks barren. You can barely make out how we used to have it.”
“Is it odd going in and seeing the rooms taken out?”
“Yes, exactly, it’s a shell. There’s just the outer layer left, and everything else is missing.”
“It’s like some people,” Elliott muses without realizing the poignancy of what he said.
“You’re right.” That’s what’s bothering me about Axel. There is a piece of him missing. He doesn’t have that glint of soul behind his eyes. And those are the most dangerous types of people.
Kyle
When I get back to the factory, there’s been all sorts of issues. I only take a day off and all of a sudden, the place can’t function without me. I’ve no idea how this group of experts went on before I arrived.
“The fabricators haven’t finished the run. Their electric went down. Cut by some road works or something,” Billy, one of the key guys, says.
Of all things. “We’re going to have to run overtime as soon as they arrive. We won’t have enough time to get the car ready for testing if we don’t. Make sure the team is on notice.” I miss Greg, and I think about his throwaway comment the day I handed in my notice, about him wanting to follow me.
I need a team here that I can rely on. The whole thing shouldn’t fall to shit because I go out for a lunch with my husband. Surely someone here should have the capacity to know that if parts are delayed and we need to meet a deadline, then in order to get everything fitted in time for that deadline, we’ll need to insert more man hours into that shorter period of time. It’s obvious. Or so I would have thought.
I think about a restructure. It was in the cards before, but now, a few weeks into this, it’s clear that one is needed. I’m used to a slick set-up, with professionals unafraid to make decisions. For whatever reason this team needs to be told every step of the way what’s needed, and without free thinking, we won’t develop at the rate we need to.
Pulling a pad out of the top drawer of my desk, I doodle. Who from my old team would I love to have over here? Who could really start to make the differences that we need? Greg for a start. Ryan would be another good one.
But, to fit them in, how would I have to rehash the team? I can’t just replace positions without following the legal process, so responsibilities need to shift around. Before too long, my desk is filled with papers, each one representing a different role that needs to be fulfilled. I’m shifting them around, creating a million new job descriptions. My desk simply isn’t big enough, so I decamp to the board room.
The rest of the afternoon disappears with my head in my potential new structure. Before I realize the time, Elliott is knocking gently on the door and poking his head around.
“All OK in here? I struggled to find you.”
I look at the clock on my phone. “Wow, that time already. How did that happen?”
“Busy day, huh?”
I shuffle another page, only half listening to him. “I’ve been restructuring the team. We need some members with skills and authority. These guys are lovely, and they take orders well, but we need someone other than me to distribute the jobs list. This group needs micro-managing.”
“So, what are you thinking? That we’ll bring in some guys we know?”
“Yeah, and some that we don’t. Look here, there’s no one I have experience working with who could fill this position.” I hand him the pile of papers. “Do you know anyone who would be perfect for this?”
“Let me think.” He shuffles the loose leaves, spreading them all out on the floor. “This is just one job, right?”
“Yeah for now. Until we expand.”
“Davey would be good. He was at my first team. He was young then, but he’s developed well since. He’s still there, so we could speak to him. But first, you need to re-shuffle the people we have into new roles without them revolting. How do you think they will be about that?”
And that’s the issue. We don’t want to lose anyone unnecessarily. This isn’t about chucking out the old -- it’s just adding some different skills into the mix. “You know, I think I’ll speak with Jessie first. This is a bit of an internal PR stunt. How I present this will make a difference to how it’s accepted.”
“What a great idea.”
Kyle
The next day I speak with Jessie, and she comes up with a great angle to approach this. So, with no time like the present, I arrange a meeting with the team.
Everyone piles into the boardroom, where I have a covered chart on the wall ready to present.
“Is this about the restructure?” Billy asks as soon as they all troop in.
What the fuck? The only people I spoke with about this were Jessie and Elliott.
“I have a few ideas to chat through with you, and I wanted to ask your opinion. It is a reorganization of a kind, but not one I’m throwing at you. I need your ideas on how we can better align.” Thank goodness I spoke with Jessie. I was not expecting that curveball. “I’ve come up with a plan that I think will work, and I want to explain my thinking to you to see what I’ve missed.”
I’m greeted by a sea of stony faces, all actively willing me to fail. They don’t make eye contact, and their lips are thin lines of distrust.
It’s going to be tough to sell them that my plan is in their best interests. I need to spell out clearly that if our factory performs more efficiently, we’ll have more time to develop our +skills. We’ll do better in the championship as the car will run better at a lower cost, and then we’ll all go from strength to strength. However, their attitudes now scream that they’ll hate anything I propose just because that gives them an element of power.
These people who were smiling and chatting with me last week, would this week wish me under a proverbial , at best.
It throws me, and I stutter, shifting the paper that was hiding the plan with an embarrassing clumsiness. I make a show of removing it, trying to scrunch it up like I’m under no strain up here. Except that I am, and even as strong as I am, the paper defeats me, refusing to crumble into a ball. I fold it instead.
“So, here, you can see I’ve taken all the roles of every person and broken them down...” I turn away from the hostility and focus on my plan, shutting out their animosity and before I know it, I’m in my groove. I believe in what I’m proposing. It’s the best thing for everyone, and my passion shines through. If they don’t like that I’m trying to move this company forward and make us winners, then that’s on them. I will not be deterred by a bunch of sour-faced old-age pensioners. Even those who are young behave like they’re ninety such is the existing culture of the place.
Twenty minutes later, they’re eating out of my hand, making suggestions about elements I’ve overlooked and truly starting to understand how and why I’m trying to refocus responsibilities.
The enthusiasm overtakes me too, because I end up asking them, “Do you know anyone in different teams who could fill these posts?” I circle the ones that are clearly vacant on the board. “I have a few people that I’ve thought of, but I’m open to other suggestions.” And as the words fly out of my mouth, I wonder why I’ve not asked these guys this before. They have been on the circuit more than I have the past few years. Of course they will have some valuable suggestions.
I’m thrilled after the meeting and heading straight up to Elliott’s office.
“What?” He clearly can’t believe what I’m telling him, so he’s clarifying, at the top of his voice. This isn’t Elliott. He’s under too much stress, and it’s starting to show.
I ignore his outburst, thinking it’s safer to just answer as though he asked at a normal volume. “Yeah, they already knew. Did you mention this to anyone?”
“No, of course not. And I don’t expect Jessie did.”
“Maybe it’s just a rumor. You know how these things fly around when new people come into a business. There’s always a fear monger somewhere looking to cause trouble. It backfired today though. My team was eating out of my hand by the end of our meeting, El. It was great. I think we really came together as a team. They came up with some really solid suggestions.”
Elliott
Today is a big deal. We're taking the exciting next step in our fresh, new house being completed. The gray tiled roof went on last week, and today the windows, of which there are a lot, go in, meaning that it’s finally waterproof. And it’s actually starting to look like the beautiful home we imagined, rather than a pile of bricks balanced on soggy mud. The double front is as impressive as I’d hoped. It’s not palatial; no one is trying to be royalty here, but we’re making a statement. When you pull up the drive and the house appears from the trees in front of you, no one will have a choice but to say, ‘wow.’ And I like that. The garage sits off to the right, off which sits the gym in a glass, garden-room space.
“You’ve done well, Kyle. It won’t be long now before we can be in.”
“Hey, don’t jump the gun. We still have to install all the power, and with all the electricity points you have in mind, that will take time.” He shoves me.
“Well, this is the time to get everything like that installed, before the walls are finished.”
“Yeah, it’s OK. I’m only teasing.”
“When do you think we’ll be able to move out of the RV?” I ask.
“Depends if everything goes according to plan. I’ve said I want to be in within a month, but that’s more to speed up the builders than what I actually expect to happen. There’s a lot of tradesmen to coordinate now, and if one is late, it will push the rest of them back because they’re all interdependent.”
“I’m getting excited now though. Our house that we’ve built from scratch is starting to become real.” My phone rings, and it’s Jessie. “I have to get this, Kyle. Give me two minutes.”
I take a few paces away from the cacophony of builders so that I can better hear. It doesn’t work. “I can’t pick up what you're saying, Jessie. I’m up at the house, and they’re installing the windows today so there’s a million and one trucks moving around. They’re blocking out what you’re saying. I’ll come and see you when I’m back up at the factory.”
“OK, how long will you be? I have a few meetings!” She screams over the line.
“I’m not sure. Shouldn’t be long.”
With that, we abandon our struggling conversation, and I get back to my house. But, I can’t settle down now. Whatever she wanted must be urgent if she wants to speak with me quickly.
“Kyle, I’m going to head back. That was Jessie. She sounds like she wants to talk with me sooner rather than later. Are you OK here?”
“Sure, I’ll come back with you. They don’t need us here. It’s just nice for us to see these landmarks. We’re probably in their way.” He grins. That wonderful grin of his which lights up his eyes, and my heart. “You don’t suppose we have time to stop off at the RV on the way back, do you?”
“What do we need from the camper?” My eyebrows dance in anticipation.
“I’m sure I could find something to pick up.”
Kyle
Elliott is concerned about Jessie’s message, so I take the detour with him to her office when we arrive back. Elliott pokes his head around her door first.
“You OK?” He opens it and steps in, leaving room for me to follow and close the door behind us.
“Elliott, I’m sorry. We have another issue.”
“What now?” He’s ramrod straight within seconds, undoing all my hard work in relaxing him a few minutes earlier.
“This is the worst. A journalist has run a piece on your house build. They’re saying this whole business is a scheme for tax avoidance and that you’re constructing your house on company property while driving the profits of Judd Racing into the ground.”
“What would the point of that be?”
“I don’t know, but it’s enough to make you look bad to the public, and your investors, and that will help some people more than others.” She hits me with a serious stare.
“Oh shit,” I hiss to myself.
Elliott and Jessie turn to me.
“Sorry, but it’s all true, in a sense. It’s obviously not the intention, but if you want to interpret the facts that way, I can see how someone would jump to the wrong conclusions.”
“Me too...” Jessie replies.
“And we’re no closer to finding out where this is all coming from? Someone must be feeding this information through. The barrage of releases is too frequent for there not to be someone pulling some strings behind the scenes. Is it the same journalist?”
Jessie nods.
“That’s it then. I haven’t done anything to personally upset that person, so someone behind the scenes has an angle here, and they’re feeding this guy half-baked info. We need to find this leak, and fast, Jessie.”
“Maybe, or it could be Chase. You know he’s got it in for you guys. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t out to make sure you lose every penny of the claim you won against him.”
“What’s public opinion?” I check.
“Fairly mixed. People are coming out on both sides. This is hurting you.”
“I know that, Jessie. I don’t need you to spell it out for me. It pisses me off because we’re only trying to do good here.”
“I know. But your good work hurts other individuals. It’s the yin and yang thingy. You’ve got people threatened if you ask me.”
“So, what’s the plan? How do we turn this around?”
“I haven’t had the time to think about this with a clear head yet, Elliott. We’ve already attacked the press with our positive stories, but if we put you in an interview now, they’ll annihilate you. Anything you say will be twisted to make you look bad, so that’s not an option this time. The drivers are already powering through all the social media, and we’re working to push down the comments with our own buzz which will show above it, but that’s a tactic, not a response. We could get your lawyer on the case with slander, but I’m not sure how that will play out in the press. It could well end up causing a bigger stink than what’s buzzing around now.”
Elliott runs his hand through his hair, and I resist the urge to cradle his head to my chest and just stand there holding him. This isn’t fair. He’s a good guy, trying to do a good thing, and he’s being attacked every step of the way. Instead, I rest my hand on his tight shoulder and leave it there, feeling his warmth through his shirt. “Look at it this way,” I say. “If someone wasn’t worried about what you’re doing, you wouldn’t be worth all of this effort on their part. We’re doing something right, Elliott.”
Elliott
I make it back to my office with my head fuzzy and my heart heavy. Jackie, my personal assistant, follows me in.
“You have some calls to return, Elliott.” She hands me a piece of paper with pretty much all of our investors listed. Including Daisy.
I scrunch my brow, confused. “I took the liberty of diverting your phone to mine when Jessie told me what had happened. I didn’t want you to have to answer their questions without having had the chance to understand our position and our corporate line.”
I fought having a regular P.A. for a long time. Giving up control is an issue for me, and I struggled with the concept of someone running my life. I went through a series of temporary people to see me through busier periods but couldn’t quite commit to one until Jackie came along.
She’s a bit older and has been around the block. She’s not a flighty young thing more concerned with the color of her nails than doing a great job. Jackie has a brain, and she uses it.
“Thank you. You’re a dream.”
“Can I make a suggestion?” she asks.
I plonk down in my chair, but my body doesn’t relax. “Sure, go on. It seems like the rest of the world is.” It sounds snotty, and I don’t mean it like that. I catch myself. “Sorry, I meant, everyone is commenting publicly and I don’t care what they say. Your opinion matters.”
“It’s OK. I understood. No need to dig yourself in a bigger hole.” Her lips curl up at the corners.
“Thanks,” I sigh, but my heart still pounds beneath my rib cage.
