Executive

…26

Starting a new job usually brought Alex a mixture of excitement and energy, fueled by her hopes that the new opportunity would propel her career, while she would be recognized and appreciated for her hard work. Starting fresh, with her innate optimism, was a sure recipe for exhilaration, not shadowed by any self-doubt, or fear of the unknown.

This time was different though. The excitement of entering a new organization, dimmed by a cautious, rational alertness, was barely surfacing. Alex had to make a conscious effort to show the full-blast enthusiasm of any new hire — especially a younger one. Focused on the image she was presenting to those around her, she had barely noticed the imposing building that housed NanoLance headquarters.

She approached the high-rise office building in a state of growing vigilance, not paying much attention to the sun's reflections off the turquoise glass of the upper floors. The reception area, wide open, was flooded in sunlight reflected by shiny blue-gray tiles. The gleaming tiles forced Alex to focus on keeping her balance, while walking on the slippery floor.

Oh, yes, she thought, the ultimate form of discrimination in the workplace… expect women to wear high heels, then shine these darn floors until we can't move anymore. She approached the reception desk and gave a quick sigh before stating her name. The massive piece of furniture provided some relief in her efforts to maintain her balance on the gleaming floors. She gladly leaned against the desk.

"Miss Hoffmann?" a voice from behind her asked.

She turned to find a young, neatly dressed woman holding a clipboard and a file folder, with her hand extended in her direction. "Yes," she replied, shaking the hand offered to her, "I am Alex Hoffmann, nice to meet you."

"I am Kathleen Bentley from human resources, nice to meet you too. Please follow me."

Kathleen led the way down a wide corridor to a conference room. Alex followed closely, noticing the flooring was different. Carpeting. Yes, I like carpeting, she thought, straightening her posture, regaining her confidence.

She sat down at a conference table, across from Kathleen, whose smile seemed to be permanent, without variation, the typical professional smile that people-facing employees develop as a second nature and wear without any effort.

"Alex, please let me start by welcoming you to NanoLance. We are excited to have you here. A professional of your caliber will bring significant strength to our technology team, and we have all been looking forward to your start date."

"Thank you, I am excited to be here," Alex said. "I was happy to hear that you wanted me to come to work a day earlier."

"Yes, indeed," Kathleen explained, "we like to get the human resources paperwork and orientation out of the way, so on Monday you can hit the ground running, in a manner of speaking."

"OK, this is great!" She refrained from commenting on how unusual this practice was.

"Good, then let's start by filling out these forms," Kathleen said, pushing in front of her an open folder with paperwork in both pockets. "On the right side, you have tax forms, non-disclosure, non-compete, and emergency contact forms. On the left, you have benefits enrollment forms. All these need to be filled out and signed before we can proceed. I'll give you a few minutes," she said, promptly leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Twenty minutes later, as Alex was just putting her pen down, Kathleen entered the conference room, wearing the same unaltered smile. "Are we ready? Great! Let's go for a tour," she said, showing Alex the way toward the slippery lobby, where the elevators were taking turns at loading and unloading hurried people.

They entered a luxurious elevator, complete with a flat screen TV showing the news and the stock-market ticker. On the back wall of the elevator, a mirror reflected Alex's image. She was dressed sharply in a Jones New York charcoal business suit, white satin shirt, completed by Gucci shoes and a briefcase. She smiled back at her reflection, proud of the image she presented, and reassured she looked her part.

"We're going to start at the top and work our way down," Kathleen said, pressing the top button, number 35. "At the very top, we have the executive floor, where Dr. Barnaby, our CEO, has his office. Also on 35, we have the boardroom and the offices of all the senior executives. Moira, Dr. Barnaby's executive assistant, also has her office here." The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open to reveal a quiet, lushly decorated floor, with thick carpets and massive furniture. The floor seemed deserted.

"Not a whole lot of activity here," Alex said. "Where is everyone? I was hoping to meet them."

"Oh, Dr. Barnaby is at the plant in Alpine today, and the senior leaders usually prefer to work from their secondary offices on the respective floors they manage, so this is quiet here most of the time. However, I think that you'll be able to meet most of the leaders today. I know Mr. Sheppard, your new boss, is in his downstairs office, waiting to meet with you."

After briefly touring the semi-dark floor, they headed for the elevators. One by one, Alex toured the human resources department, followed by finance, accounting, payroll, administration, purchasing, vendor management, manufacturing, marketing, and sales. Everywhere they went, Kathleen introduced her to countless, smiling people who shook her hand, welcomed her, and then resumed their activities.

No senior executives, in any of the business areas, were available to meet her. All departments seemed to operate quietly and effectively, without visible leadership, in a low-key hum of orchestrated activity. Alex was trying her best to remember as many of the faces, names, and job titles as she could. After a while though, they started to blend in her overloaded memory. How will I remember everyone?

"And, finally, this is your home," Kathleen said, leading her to the third floor. "This is where information technology resides." She paused for a second, took a quick breath, and then said in a quick whisper, "Good luck."

Kathleen led the way to an impressive office of glass walls. Facing away from them and looking out the window, a tall, bald man, dressed in black from head to toe, was talking on his cell phone. Kathleen opened the office door, alerting him to their presence. He turned, mumbled something in his cell phone, and then put it on his desk.

"Finally," he said, "you've made it, only twenty minutes late." His voice was a quiet, hissing whisper, conveying the paralyzing coldness of a snake.

Alex started explaining. "Sir, I was here—"

"Of course, you would have some excuse, no doubt," the man continued unabated, "of which I do not wish to learn. Sit," he said, pointing at the chair in front of his massive desk. He turned his attention toward Kathleen, who remained frozen in the doorway. "Anything I can do for you?"

Stammering an inaudible apology, Kathleen left hurriedly, closing the door behind her.

The man refocused his attention on Alex. "I am supposed to wish you welcome on a day like this." He paused, studying her.

Alex felt the sweat breaking at the roots of her hair. She remembered Dustin Sheppard from her interview — the interview she thought she had failed. She remembered how she got her courage up, after getting the job offer, thinking he couldn't possibly be that bad on a daily basis. She had been wrong.

"We'll have to see about that welcome," Sheppard continued. "Directors come and go, proving they are nothing but a waste of my time," he said, pausing slightly between words, as to emphasize them without raising his voice from that low hiss of a deadly snake. "I do not welcome any waste of my time. How will you be any different?"

She took a deep breath, remembering what she had to do.

"I am positive I can make a big difference and bring consistent value to the business. I have—"

"Don't waste my time," Sheppard interrupted again, "please tell me specifics." The venom in his voice removed all the politeness of the words he spoke.

"I am planning to start by evaluating current resources, capabilities, and infrastructure, and assess whether they are suited for the objectives that we have, for our short- and long-term future. Then I'll prepare recommendations for you to review." She paused, waiting for Sheppard's response, which did not come. Sheppard sat in his massive leather chair, eyes half closed, with an impenetrable expression on his face. His features, although elegant and harmonious, seemed carved in stone — cold and immobile.

She continued, repressing a shudder. "I would like to meet my team as soon as possible. I am planning to assess their skill levels and capabilities and prepare action items regarding staffing, again, for your review."

"If I would have had any interest to hire an assistant to prepare things for my review, I would have hired that person instead of you. From you, I am expecting results."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"That's it for today."

Alex stood up abruptly. "It was a pleasure seeing you again," she said, extending her hand.

Sheppard did not move. "I doubt that. You are dismissed."