Chapter 23: An Unlucky Break

October 31, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“Did everyone have a chance to read through all of the proposals?” I asked.

There was a chorus of ‘yes’ accompanied by nods from people in the conference room.

“Good,” I said. “The only one I expect to get significant pushback on is the sabbatical policy because it’s purely subjective and subject to my approval.”

“Could you establish some clear guidelines?” Mario asked. “That would allow you to weed out a lot of requests without running into trouble.”

“I could, yes, but I want to keep maximum leeway to allow things that might be unconventional. The more rules we write, the more difficult that is. Obviously, the ‘work-related’ requirement will wash out anything that doesn’t fall under the ‘charity work’ exception, but that presents a problem. Does ANY charity qualify? The concern the lawyers and HR consultants have is that someone could claim religious discrimination if, for example, they wanted to take a sabbatical to proselytize, you know, like the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses do.”

“What are the chances that anyone like that would even THINK about working for NIKA?” Cindi laughed. “They’d declare us all heathen libertines and run screaming for the door!”

“You would think,” Elyse said. “But lawsuits are filed all the time over religious discrimination.”

“Can we exclude religious work?” Charlie asked.

“It’s tricky,” Elyse said, “because some charities are religiously based. Would we object to someone taking three months to work with the Salvation Army doing disaster relief?”

“No, of course not!”

“And that opens the door to the religious discrimination charge if you don’t allow other religious work. I’m not saying they’ll win, but fighting the lawsuit could be nightmarish, especially if it’s brought by the government on behalf of the individual. And that does happen.”

“What about just calling it ‘humanitarian assistance’ instead of charity?” Michelle asked. “That wouldn’t distinguish between Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, or the Salvation Army, so long as it was humanitarian work.”

“I like that idea,” Julia said. “But I have to ask, what is ‘work-related’?”

“It would be something that furthered the mission of NIKA,” I said. “One way to ensure that was true would be to require Board approval. That takes the onus off me, but allows me to influence things by recommending for or against.”

“But you own the company, and basically control the Board,” Barbara said. “Isn’t that a problem?”

“I let them operate independently. We don’t replace Board members very often. Three of them have been there from the beginning, and you know, except on very rare occasions, I abide by their decisions.”

“I see it’s no more than once every five years,” Zeke said. “But how do you balance competing requests? At first a bunch of people are going to hit the five-year mark at the same time.”

“The application process won’t be short, and we’ll take the applications in the order they come. If they are time sensitive, then the management team will expedite approval, but in the end, it’s going to be by seniority, though something that is truly a ‘now or never’ thing might take priority.”

“Can managers reject the requests?” Zeke asked.

I shook my head, “No. They’ll send them up to the director level with an endorsement if they approve, or without, if they don’t. Same thing with the director level when they send it to me. Either endorsed or not. For the ‘humanitarian work’, I’ll approve or not. For the ‘work-related’ I’ll either endorse it or not and send it to the board. That way the ultimate decision always rests with the board for those issues.”

“Do we have a sample application?” Barbara asked.

“I tasked Michelle with developing it with our HR consultant and Jamie. We’ll have it ready by the end of the year.”

“I have a question about the new vacation policy,” Sam said. “How do you know if someone is REALLY relaxing for two weeks?”

“That’s been the nagging question all along,” I said. “And I can’t resolve it. One possible solution our HR consultant suggested was to give each person a bank of time they can use to get away from the office in short spurts. Right now, we only allow half days or full days for vacation. This would be a separate bank of time which could be used by the hour. If someone wanted to take two-hour lunches, they could burn the time that way. Or if they wanted to leave at 3:30pm on Fridays, they could burn it that way. It wouldn’t be enough to do that ALL the time, but often enough. Combine that with flex-time, and we’ve given people the tools to manage their work-life balance.”

“I like that better,” Sam said. “So, would it be forty hours then? Accumulated at 3.25 hours per month?”

“That would be one approach,” I said. “Though we’d cap the hours which could be banked. We want these used, just like we require everyone to use their vacation, with exceptions needing my approval. Anything else on benefits, or can we move on to the reorganization?”

There was consensus about moving on.

“OK. I’ve been over this with the Board unofficially, but what I’m proposing is that the regional directors become full-time executives. That would mean Mario, Barbara, and Zeke would focus purely on running their regions. We’d still have the matrix management where Charlie managed the consultants and Cindi the sales team, but the directors would be their own profit and loss centers, with their own budgets and own hiring authority. The one caveat is I retain my veto and see every candidate before an offer is made.

“This would create one additional director role, and that would be national service and support director who reports to Cindi. I spoke with her and she wants to continue managing the sales team directly, and I agree with that. She’ll need to hire to backfill the roles Mario, Barbara, and Zeke are currently doing, unless they wish to step down as regional directors. I’ve talked with each of them, and I don’t believe that’s the case, but Cindi will work that out with them.”

“Who do the directors report to?” Sam asked.

“Me,” I said. “My direct reports will be Elyse, Cindi, Julia, Kimmy, and the three regional directors.”

“And Penny,” Julia laughed.

“You have that backwards,” Elyse smirked. “Steve reports to her! He always has!”

Laughter erupted both in the room and over the phone.

“Truer words were never spoken,” I said soberly. “The final piece of the puzzle, if you will, is that the Western Region headquarters is moving to Colorado. And Julia has an additional proposal in that regard.”

“After talking with Dave, Steve, Alonzo, and Tasha, we’re going to allow developers to work in Colorado, but they will be limited to doing maintenance and bug fixes, not new feature development. That may change in the future, but for now, there are no plans beyond that.”

“Who’s moving?” Barbara asked.

“Nicole,” Julia said. “She understands the change in her role, and she’s happy.”

“How does that affect space?”

“I’d suggest finding a space that can accommodate twelve to fifteen,” Elyse said. “That’s based on staffing projections which includes two developers. And make sure whatever space you find could take a receptionist.”

“Receptionist?” Barbara asked.

“If we continue our expansion, we could see many more people there,” Elyse said. “In effect, it could become a major office. Pittsburgh is slowly working that way, and Mario will take bigger space when he needs it, but we’re not putting developers there. Or more telephone support staff. Our business out west is growing and with time zones, it makes more sense to put people in Colorado than Pittsburgh.”

“Remember,” I said. “These decisions can change as conditions change. We have full-blown phone systems in all three regions, so if something changes, we’re ready.”

“Have you talked with Ben Jackson?” Cindi asked.

“Repeatedly. We’re keeping the space across from his office for Andy and the new on-site support person in next year’s budget, as well as for the LA-based consultants. Ben knows we’ll take his calls and he has ALL of our mobile phone numbers! That said, Ford, Jackson, and Finch are no longer our biggest client in California. In fact, they’re third now. BUT, they’re our best client, and our chief beta testers, so we will continue to treat them the same as we always have. I’ll see Ben when I go to LA next week and tell him personally we’re moving forward. I’ll be in Pittsburgh late next week, but be back on Friday afternoon to talk with Sam before she leaves for Australia.”

“Lucky dog!” Zeke groused good-naturedly.

“Don’t forget she closed that deal herself and it created a very nice profit and we can charge for ongoing support!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed. “The almighty dollar!”

“It pays your salary, bonus, and profit sharing. And mine! So be quiet!” Sam laughed.

“I think all that’s left is Michelle’s report on the construction.”

“No changes, really,” Michelle said. “Everything is set for the second week in December. Everything has been ordered and Mr. Brown says he’ll have it all in his warehouse before Thanksgiving.”

“Then we’re adjourned,” Kimmy said.

“And we’ll see YOU after you have that baby!” I said.

“Yes, Dad!” she laughed. “I’m starting maternity leave tomorrow. This tyke is due in ten days!”

“Make sure you call me and let me know!”

“You’ll know right after my parents and Gary’s parents!”

I gave her a quick hug and got a kiss on the cheek in return. I winked to Elyse who just rolled her eyes.

On the way home after work, we heard reports that an American Eagle flight from Indianapolis to Chicago had crashed in Indiana, killing 64 passengers and 4 crew. Nobody I knew was supposed to be traveling, and none of my staff were supposed to be flying, which caused me to breathe a small sigh of relief, despite the tragedy.

November 4, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“Are you going to call Meredith?” Elyse asked as we ate lunch in her office on Friday afternoon.

“No. I can’t get to San Diego and I’m only in LA until Wednesday morning. I need to call Ben Jackson to confirm our dinner on Monday. Given that, and the fact I don’t get in until late Sunday evening, the only time I could see her would be a few hours on Tuesday, and it’s silly for her to try to come up from San Diego. Not to mention I wasn’t THAT interested. She was fun to talk to and flirt with, but not what I’m looking for, I guess.”

“What ARE you looking for?”

“Looking for? Nothing at the moment. What COULD I see happening? Something like Tara. I’m actually going to see her for dinner and drinks in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. But she has a steady boyfriend who’s going to join us, so she’s totally off limits.”

“No hockey games because of the lockout, right?”

“Right. But, unlike MLB, there’s movement. They’ll fix this and play half the season or something. Everyone knows the small-market teams are royally screwed. And that includes the Penguins. If something doesn’t give soon, they’ll be bankrupt in five years. I should have asked for Jeri and Samantha’s help to buy them two years ago when they were for sale!”

“That would have been cool!”

“The only problem is that owning a hockey team is a good way to turn a large fortune into a small one. Which is the problem.”

“Nice one!”

“I didn’t make that up. I can’t remember which owner said it, but it makes sense.”

“I saw in your journal that you’re calling Karla every couple of weeks.”

“She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t want her to feel as if I just used her and tossed her aside.”

“You didn’t write anything down about her dating, or whatever.”

“It’s hard to tell. They tend to go out in groups and she’s very circumspect about it, but that makes sense, if you think about it.”

“Are you going to see your new Italian friend again?”

“I suspect our paths will cross again, yes.”

“And the little London girl?”

I laughed, “She sent me a thank you note and mentioned she has a twenty-four-year-old boyfriend!”

“You are TOO much!” Elyse laughed. “A ‘thank-you’ note?”

I shrugged, “What can I say?”

“You can be a really smug bastard!”

“Yes, I can!”

“Are you leaving after the Rap Session on Sunday?”

“The best flight for me leaves at 5:00pm, which means leaving home by 2:30pm. That puts me at LAX just after 6:00pm LA time, and at the hotel at 7:00pm. Of course, that assumes everything is on time.”

I finished my lunch then went to my office to call Ford, Jackson, and Finch.

“Hi Steve!” Jasmine said. “Ben is in a client meeting but he asked me to confirm your dinner plans for Monday night. It’ll be at the LA Athletic Club at 7:00pm. He has a late meeting that day in Burbank.”

“OK. That sounds good. I’ll see you on Monday morning.”

“You’re flying in Sunday afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to have company for dinner and maybe have a drink? I enjoyed talking to you when I had to babysit!”

I laughed, “So long as you remember my situation!”

“I do,” she laughed. “Crazy!”

“I should be at the InterContinental around 7:00pm.”

“Dinner at 8:00pm, just to be safe? There’s a nice steak place close.”

“I remember. Sounds good. See you then!”

I hung up and Penny started laughing, “Unreal!”

“What?”

“You call to confirm a dinner appointment with your friend Ben and a chick asks you to bone her!”

“She did not!” I laughed. “She’s the one who babysat me on my trip last year and whose head nearly exploded when Ben told her about my situation. Trust me, it’s totally innocent.”

“Oh sure, that’s how it ALWAYS starts, but then there’s moaning and screaming!”

I laughed, “Nice. But just like my ‘date’ with Tara in Pittsburgh it’s purely platonic. Heck, Tara’s bringing her boyfriend!”

“I didn’t think you went for those ‘two-guys-on-one-girl’ things!”

“Back to work, Penelope!”

November 6, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“You aren’t staying?” Maureen asked.

“I can’t today. I have to fly to Los Angeles. Elizabeth is going to lead today with help from Henry and Trish.”

“Will you be here for the next one?”

“Yes. I’ll be home on Saturday and Sunday if you want to come by to talk.”

“Do you think we could use the sauna?”

“That’s up to you,” I said. “And you pick the rules.”

“OK to just show up?”

“Either day after noon is just fine.”

“Cool!”

She and her sister went into the great room.

“What was that about,” Kara smirked, coming up behind me.

“About wanting to talk and use the sauna.”

“Uh-huh!” she laughed. “Talk!”

“You do remember our conversation about this, right? And the fact they’ve been here twice with nary a hint of what you’re suggesting?”

“True. It’s difficult adjusting to the changes. In the past, you’d have already had them!”

“In the past. Where’s our wife?”

“Ashley got a boo-boo that needed a Band-Aid and a kiss.”

“What happened?”

“Just a scraped knee. She tried jumping rope with Birgit, Tiffany, Rachel, and Amber and it didn’t quite work out.”

“She’s three!”

“Yes, and she has an older sister who she adores and tries to emulate. Stephie managed to jump a few times without injury.”

“I suppose that’s no different to Albert’s shiner a couple of weeks ago when he failed to catch the ball Matthew tossed to him.”

“None of them has cracked their skull or broken their arm!” Jessica said coming up behind us carrying Ashley.

“Hi Cinderella! How’s your knee?”

“Daddy kiss?” she asked.

I nodded and bent down to kiss the Band-Aid-covered knee.

“What are you trying to imply, Babe?” I grinned.

“Just that somebody else here is more injury-prone than certain children!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I need to go pack.”

I went upstairs and packed my bag for Los Angeles. Given the short trip, I could manage with just my two-suiter and my leather satchel. I’d be in First Class, and nobody would give me grief about bringing both onto the plane. When I’d finished packing, I took a quick shower and dressed in white khakis and a navy blue polo shirt, then took my bags downstairs and out to the car. As I passed through the great room, I heard a raucous discussion of the ‘Allegory of the Cave’ in progress and regretted missing it.

“Are we taking you to the airport, Dad?” Matthew asked.

“No. I’m driving my car. I’ll be home on Wednesday. On Thursday I’m going to Pittsburgh, but I’ll be home on Friday.”

“And you’re coming to my play on Saturday, right?”

“Yes, sir! Matthew Clarke as Tom Sawyer!”

He beamed and ran back to play with his brothers. I went back inside so say goodbye, and my wives gathered the girls from the front walk to join the boys in the backyard to say goodbye. After hugs and kisses all around for the females and sober handshakes from the boys except Albert who gave me a hug, I got into my BMW to head to O’Hare.

November 6, 1994, Los Angeles, California

I met Jasmine in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel for the short walk to the restaurant.

“Hi!” she said.

“Hi! How are you?”

“Good. You’re in WAY better condition than around this time last year.”

“No kidding! But then again, that’s a pretty low bar.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Until Wednesday morning. I thought I had mentioned that.”

“You probably did. Are you coming back for the Christmas party next month?”

“We’re holding it in Boulder. I want to check out the new space we’re going to take there and several of our team are already based in Boulder.”

“Does that mean no more trips to LA?”