T Minus 5 4 3 Ch 02

What a long day. This Jenson deal is a real headscratcher. I think it could be huge. It could also be a huge disaster. I've really got to get this one right.

Not just for myself. A lot of people count on me to make big decisions. I don't care about the money, I just want to build something that lasts. That helps people improve their lives. That's why I started Diamond Technical.

Ok, revisit our values:

-Honesty is always the best policy.

-Loyalty is paramount to success.

-Hard work conquers all.

These three simple values might seem basic but they were the bedrock of my beliefs and our company. They'd served me well over the years. And something seems off about this deal I'm staring at...

"Hey Sam! We got the purchase order from Quality Parts. Want to review it?"

Huh? I looked up startled to see Robert. One of my key employees, a true testament to our rules. He had been through a tough cycle of big corporate jobs that burned him out & left him broken. Those companies used him up, fed him lies then dumped him. Everything I was trying to change as we built Diamond bigger and bigger.

I smiled, he was a real success story.

"No, I trust you Robert. Way to go!"

"Thanks boss! Appreciate you giving me the opportunity."

"How many times have I said don't call me 'boss'? We all work hard around here."

"Sorry sorry, that reminds me. We aren't all working hard unfortunately."

"Huh?"

"That new girl, Mandy Watson. Its already 1:00pm and she's only entered in 3 sets of data."

New girl, my mind blanked. I was often guilty of being lost in my own world when a big deal was on the table.

"Huh? That is slow. I hate that for her but stick with the usual routine if she doesn't improve. Its honestly the best thing for her too if she doesn't fit here."

"Got it, bos- err Sam. Give her a week then tell the temp agency its not working. Ya know, I've been thinking. We're really good at hiring & this is a great place to work. Maybe we should lose the temp agency that keeps sending us slow worker & hire ourselves? I've even got a great candidate actually! Very hard worker."

I appreciated Robert's honesty. Maybe I wasn't valuing the data entry position enough. Maybe I was over-valuing not having to let someone go; something I hated.

I always see the best in people & I hate it when something doesn't work out.

The temp agency made it so easy but I'd never handle key employees like Robert that way. Maybe he was right.

"Hmm... that just may be a good idea. Give this one a week & if nothing changes, do that!"

Robert smiled and left just as my cell rang.

I smiled picking it up, "Hey honey! Yeah busy day but its looking up. Robert just closed a big deal and had a pretty good idea. No no, I shouldn't be home too late. Perfect, love ya bye!"

Penelope. My beautiful wife. We'd met young and been blissfully married over a decade. She was the center of my world. Beautiful, smart, full of integrity. I knew right away. She never wanted this busy lifestyle that came with your husbamd building a company but she supported me anyway. We were happy- no financial stress as we lived well below our means, we still laughed together and enjoyed our time. There was only one thing missing: children to expand our love. We planned to have kids, it just hadn't happened yet. The timing just hadn't been right but soon-

"Knock knock! I thought the boss might need an afternoon treat... something to perk you up! Melt away that stress- Starbucks latte?"

I looked up confused. Who was this woman? She looked vaguely familiar. A blonde with an odd smile on her face. This must be... Mandy? I paused as I put two and two together, always making sure to be in control & thoughtful.

"No thank you, Mandy is it? I don't like that fancy coffee but I appreciate the offer. I hope your first day is going well, glad to have you here. Just some friendly advice: hard work conquers all. Follow that and have integrity and you'll do great here."

She nodded, still standing there. I thought it was clear that was her cue to exit.

"Oh and no need to call me boss. We all work hard here and that's what matters. Enjoy your coffee."

She smiled, "Ok... Mr. Not the Boss haha. I like that, that's sweet. Well, just let me know if you change your mind about needing that afternoon pick-me-up."

I went back to my work. I need to get my head around this Jenson deal. This spreadsheet seems off somehow.

But twenty minutes later I was interrupted again.

"Knock knock, Not Boss! Here's your muffin."

"Huh? Oh um there must be some mistake. I didn't ask for a muffin."

She laughed. "I know, you just look so stressed! And who doesn't love a warm, gooey, soft muffin to put your hard...teeth into."

This was not a great start for her, its one thing to be unproductive. It's another to distract others around you. Maybe Robert needs to speed up the timeline on the data entry job idea.

"Um no thanks."

"Really?! You must have some guilty pleasure. I'm just worried seeing how tense you are."

"Listen Mandy, I appreciate the offer and all. Robert may not have told you but we work pretty lean around here. We're all busy and need to keep our focus. I don't have an assistant for a reason, it slows me down. Again thanks, but maybe focus on your data entry and you'll do well here?"

She nodded and walked away.

Only to return 5 minutes later smh. This is an issue. I looked up to see tears welling up in her eyes. Oh boy.

"I just came to (sniff) apologize sir (sniff). Its just that I (sniff) really need this job and..."

She trailed off. Had I been too hard? I hate confronting emotions, it makes me uncomfortable. But I also don't have time for this.

"Um Mandy is it? I'm sorry if I was too hard earlier. We're just a very simple company. Its important we stick to our values."

"V-values?"

"Surely Robert went over our values. Here look," I pointed to the values sign on my wall.

-Honesty is always the best policy.

-Loyalty is paramount to success.

-Hard work conquers all.

"Honesty is always the best policy. That's why I shared with you earlier about focusing on your job.

Loyalty is so important. It builds trust and that is key to success.

Finally, I mentioned this one already. Hard work conquers all.

That is our culture and what will help you here. Follow these values and the sky's the limit!"

She nodded, pulling it together thankfully. She smiled sheepishly, "Now I get it. Thanks for explaining that so simply. It didn't make sense when Robert tried. I better get back to work. Again, sorry about before bos- err sir."

Note to self: review with Robert how to explain our values to new hires. Sounds like he'll need a refresher before our next data entry hire.

Mercifully, I went back to my work. I spent the rest of my day blissfully uninterrupted. It was tedious but I was slowly uncovering an issue with Jenson's Toledo plant. Something is off.

My cell phone rang again. Penelope. I smiled.

"Hey honey! What, its that late? I had no idea! I'm so sorry, I was just lost in this deal and interrupted.. well nevermind, I'm leaving RIGHT NOW!"

I glanced up to see all the lights off. I scurried to grab my things and turn my lights off & rush out the door-

CRASH! What the?

I stumbled back, jolted. My head spun a bit as I gathered my wits. Blinking, I restored my balance. Blinking... my eyes took in what I'd run into.

I squinted to see a pair of heaving breasts bouncing up and down through a black sports bra. I pulled my eyes up immediately to see Mandy, also looking confused.

"Uh, I'm so SORRY! I didn't see you. I thought everyone was gone. What are you doing here?" I asked trying to move past the run-in quickly.

"I'm so SORRY, sir! I was just leaving. I took your words to heart: hard work conquers all. I had a slow start to my day so I figured I'd stay late to try to 'get ahead'. I'm afraid I stayed so long, I didn't have time to go home and change before hitting the gym! You're not the only one with rules. One of my rules is: ALWAYS STAY FIT! Hahaha."

"Oh um, I'm glad you took our little talk to heart. But we don't have rules, those are values. Rules imply someone is in charge, dictating power. We work together here. But I'm glad you have some discipline in your personal life."

My eyes glanced down instinctively- just for a brief flicker. I pulled them back up immediately. That's out of character. I've trained my eyes well, but something seemed off. I'd only barely glanced at her chest on our initial bump. That wasn't intentional, my eyes just went to the source of what hit me.

But this second time when I glanced- it was pure instinct. Something didn't seem right. They seemed so... so... get that out of your head. That's not me.

"HUGE, I know. It was huge for me to start learning discipline. A big part of putting my life back together. I work out every day!"

Her hands motioned down as if to emphasize her point. She was just pointing out why she was wearing workout clothes.

I stole once last glance, a hair longer maybe? The black sports bra really pushed up, those don't seem... they're so... shake it off.

"Uh yeah that's great, anyway I gotta get home. To my wife. Uh see you tomorrow!"

She smiled and waved, walking away. Whew she hadn't noticed anything. I made sure to keep my eyes on the back of her head as she walked away and not on her tight black yoga pants. It almost seems like I can see the sides bouncing of her... nevermind. Pull it together, go home. My brain just needs a reset.