It's been my job, for the past ten years, to be...motivating. After a long career working for the government, regardless of who hired me, they were hiring me for my ability to show up and lead a team. The company I was working for now had a terrible history with building teams and I was brought in to change that.
Changing bad teams into good ones was always easy, but it takes time. Step one, explain to everyone how great teams work. Then all you do is get rid of the players that don't like that kind of work and hire and promote those that do. It's all about good fired and better hires.
I was three years into this particular turnaround and it had become clear that Paige and Stacey were two of the star players on the new team. They had stuck with us when there was still a few bad players around and had proven themselves loyal and valuable people on the sales team, that much was evident. So, as it became clear that we were having a great year, due in no small part the them, I stepped into their office and let them know how their hard work and dedication would pay off.
I had been standing there watching them creating sales orders and talking to customers and then, being largely ignored by both of them I said;
"If we do twelve million in sales by the end of the year, I'll give you both a 20,000-dollar bonus," I let that hang in the air a second and then walked out into the lobby.
Paige was the kind of person who took work seriously. She was always on a project and working to get the task -- whatever task was in front of her -- done. So it didn't surprise me at all when she stayed focused on what she was doing, not so much as leaning her head back when I spoke, her keyboard still clicking as I walked out. But clearly, she had heard me. Three steps out of the sales office door the clicking stopped and I heard her say to Stacey (so I could hear it);
"He gives us a 20,000-dollar bonus and you and I will have to come to work with knee pads and handle-bar pigtails."
I choked on my coffee and looked back at her over my shoulder. Stacey was looking stunned but smiling as Paige just looked back at me and said, "Fair is fair."
"I've....I've gotta go and...try and sell something," I said and they both cracked up.
Both Paige and Stacey were married with kids. Both of them were hard working. Both of them were sexy in their own ways. Paige was 36 and had a sort of hot-mom thing going on. She always wore professional but tight fitting clothes to work that accentuated her form. Stacey was just 24, five-two with jet black hair, a sweet lilt to her voice and was softic with an E-cup rack that was almost impossible not to look at. Being a much older man - my own daughter was older than both of them - I was always professional with them and this was the first time in the two years they had been on the team that anything was ever said between us that was even slight less that work appropriate.
Thankfully, after that little joke, we never really spoke of it again. That is, until November when our numbers passed 11.6 million in Invoices. I mentioned how well we were doing and Stacey said, "We're going for that big bonus!"
"I think you are going to get it!" I said proudly, not even thinking about Paige's joke from months earlier.
Without even looking up from her computer screen, Paige cut in with, "I hope you got a good pair of knee pads, Stacey. We get our bonus, he gets his."
Stacey and I both turned red. I tried to recover with, "Funny, Paige. But I actually meant the 20K part."
It was Stacey's turn to be bold as she shocked Paige and I both with, "You'll find out just how much we meant it after we get that bonus." Paige looked over at her partner smiling silently. A quick high five and they went right back to work.
All I could do is shake my head and walk out.
We passed 12-million by December 10th. At the company Christmas party a week later, I handed out the company bonus letters. It is an unwritten rule that no one opens them at the party, but I know they all do once they get to their cars. After the party, sitting in my condo, I got a group text from Paige to me and Stacey.
Paige: "Thank you soooo much for the bonus, Boss."
Stacey: "YES! Thank you so much!"
Keeping it totally professional I said
Me: "You have totally earned it. Thank you for another great year! You've both earned them."
I didn't hear another word from either of them during the Christmas break.
