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Friday Night Meeting Ted strode by briskly wearing his best urgent, serious look. This is the big one, he was telling a compatriot, were down to the crunch, systems-wise. New York is going to be asking some pretty pointed questions soon, so weve got to get our ducks lined up. As Ted moved on, Stanley thought, What now? Whats the big crisis this week? By all appearances, Teds career is strung together with a never-ending series of crucial events. He moves from one to the next, making the most of each by getting to know the right people on a first-name basis. Ted is also the office model for facetime, the idea of getting the boss to think you are the hardest worker because you are always in the office. He is there when you get there, there when you leave, and is there when you dont have to be. This has always puzzled Stanley, for to his way of looking at things, the office is not the most desirable place to be. Unlike the mill floor, the traveling sales force, the customer service center, and the back patio after work for that matter, nothing real ever seems to happen at headquarters. And there is nothing that Ted has to do on the average workday that couldnt be handled in, say, three or four hours of honest application. It seems to Stanley that Ted spends most of the day wandering around socializing. Stanleys musings end temporarily as he arrives at Ben Franklyns office. He has been assigned to pull together the facts for Ted, who will then edit and rearrange them (massaging the facts, Ted calls it). And Ben has some of the crucial facts. This is another one of Teds Things-That-Cant-Wait, is it? Ben growled. Let me tell you something, son. Ive been with The Company for forty years now, and theres something for the life of me that Ill never understand. We never seem to have the time or money to do it right in the first place, but we always seem to have whatever it takes to bail us out when we get in trouble. I dont understand why we cant . . . Ben, obviously primed to talk, is interrupted by the phone. Mr. Mason for you, Mr. Franklyn, Bonnie calls in. (Marshall Mason is Corporate Director of Plant Manufacturing Automation.) Meeting? There is? . . . Tonight you say . . . todays Friday. No, I wont be able to make it. I promised my family I would take them to the church picnic tonight. . . . Yes, I do understand that. . . . No, I dont need to think it over . . . Yes, I know, I do accept that. Ben is now holding the phone about three inches from his ear. How about first thing Monday? . . . Oh come on, you know better than that. . . . Well, I can do this. If youre still in session, I can make it by eleven. . . . No? Not good enough? . . . No. No, you wont. If Stanley could have heard both sides, here is what he would have learned. First, Mason (basically a staff-type like Ted Shelby) is preparing for the witch-hunt brewing in New York (by more staff types of the Corporate variety). So hes called a meeting of all involved management the soonest he could. Because of other commitments, this turns out to be eight oclock Friday evening. Franklyn (through an email earlier that day) has already told Mason that he is unable to attend. No good. So Mason gets on the horn to put the squeeze on Ben to communicate his sense of urgency. But Ben isnt buying. To him, this is just more staff nonsense whipped up by people who dont have any real work to do. They cant do anything over the weekend anyway, so why not wait until Monday a.m.? Mason isnt used to this. After all, management is a 24/7 proposition. Were always on call. Thats what it takes to keep The Company a step ahead. So he tells Ben to think it over and call him back in a half-hour. Presumably, with a little time to ponder it, Ben will come to realize the enormity of his refusal and will come in with the right answer. But actually, Mason is upping the level of implied threat and providing a face-saving mechanism for capitulation (think it over and call me back). Ben counters with his own proposal to be there by 11 P.M. Presumably Mason, therefore, will understand that Ben is not just avoiding his duty and will accept his proposal as sufficient. But again, what is really being done is that Ben is providing Mason with a face-saving way of backing off, a symbol of submission, turning the neck. And now Mason isnt buying, so finally, No, thats not good enough. Weve got to have your input. See you tonight at eight. This last was followed by Bens refusal. What is going on here? A battle of wills? Dereliction of duty? Possibly. Mason (who isnt such a bad fellow) is probably more astonished than anything else. Hes gotten himself into this situation because it never occurred to him that Ben would flatly and finally refuse. In his eighteen years with The Company, from management trainee on up, he had never seen anyone in a responsible management position refuse to attend an important meeting for personal reasons. Teds reaction is also revealing. Stanley left Bens office with the information and was now with Ted getting an item-by-item rundown. But I dont have a good grasp of what this means for us manufacturing-wise, Stanley. Its not clear how were supposed to interface on this one. Well, we dont have time to work it out now. Ill toss the ball to Ben tonight. If you mean Mr. Franklyn, well Ive got an idea he isnt going to be at your meeting tonight. Where did you get a crazy idea like that? Of course, hell be there hes got to be! Weve all got to be right on top of this thing. It might be a good idea to call him, Ted. Ted did and found out for himself. Can you beat that, he isnt going! And theres a lesson for you, Stan. Have you ever wondered why after forty years, Franklyn hasnt made it beyond plant manager? (Of course, he hadnt. From where Stanley stood, Bens job looked impressive enough.) Hes got no sense of urgency, thats why. The people who make it to the top in this Company are the people who are always willing to give a little more than the next one: the Marshes, the Masons (the Shelbys, Teds look said it for him). These people care about The Company, and The Company takes care of them. Symbolic acts communicate a great deal. How does anyone know that Ted Shelby is a hotshot young manager? After all, few people ever get to see what he actually does. Well, there are ways. That young Shelby, a real comer. Right on top of things, you can bet. Many a time Ive thought I closed the building down, but Shelbys still there hammering away at it. And . . . Id feel better if we got on it right away, sir. Dollar-wise were not talking a whole lot but I like to treat The Companys money as I would my own. How about this evening? We can order in some pizza and get right on it, if thats okay with you, Mr. Mason. Dedication, zest for work, a sense of urgency these are management qualities. But they are difficult qualities to display with actual work, for the simple reason that, in most cases, the actual work does not require them. That is why these attributes must be displayed symbolically by the aspiring manager. But what Ted and Mason fail to understand (how could they?) is that Franklyn has no interest in a higher management position. Hed rather be shot than work with a bunch of corporate staff busybodies, and in New York, of all places! With this in mind, you can take the analysis from here by yourself.