Passion and Capability - Chapter 6

I was reveling in the performance improvements that we were experiencing...I find that one of the elements that separate great leaders from mediocrity is the ability to honestly celebrate success...

I taught my mentor this...he was often too busy to stop (even for a moment) and enjoy the fleeting aroma of accomplishment...

...Although my project was not yet completely finished...we were at a place that was only a pipe dream...a "stretch goal" as they would have you believe...I didn't like that term..."stretch goal"...if you can achieve it...then it is the goal...if you can't don't attempt it...if they want that then they should tell you that they want it...

Success and achievement...is all about "stretch"...not about idling across the finish line and claiming audacious victories...and taking credit for that which can not be accomplished without "stretch"...

How silly that management method is and how pervasive it is across well meaning organizations...

Enough of that!  It was detracting from my feelings of accomplishment!

In short order, we had exceeded their expectations...and were on a path that would take this organization to being a major contributor of the corporation...not too long ago...it was a proverbial anchor!

The "marathon runner" had seemed to refocus his efforts towards leading rather than running from the problems...

As I reflected on this...I thought about how much my mentor had an impact on the way I worked...and he often admitted that I had changed him too...for the better, I hoped...

People who knew both of us...called us clones!  I took that as a compliment...

That is what happens when a friendship has that much influence...

It was not difficult...knowing him as well as I did...made emulating him easy...

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery..."

...or so I thought...until...

The day I stopped to buy fuel for my car...

I was in a hurry...ran the card through the slot and began pumping...

As I waited (impatiently) I looked around the drive and then over at the store...

He was sitting on the sidewalk...removing one his shoes and dumping what seemed like gravel or sand from them...

His usually perfectly pressed pants were torn...and I could also see that his elbows were scrapped...

His bicycle, carefully laid next to him...

"HEY!" I yelled...

He immediately took notice, tied his shoe, picked up his bike and limped over to me...

"What the heck happened to you?" I asked

"I was riding over to your house to see if you wanted to take a ride...and got off the sidewalk...into some sand...and had a little crash..." he smiled...

"You are too old to do off-roading...look at you...you are a mess" I said in the best fake, concerned voice that I could muster

"You're telling me...I almost swore!  Can you take me to your place to get cleaned up...We should also look at my wheels...I think the front one is a bit out of round!  Then we can go on our trip" 

"I think that I have a bit of your favorite medicine stashed away...perhaps we should forgo the bike ride and just take it easy today!"

As we drove...he asked that we stop by his car dealership so that he can pick up his car...

Things then became clearer to me...

He would have never ridden his bike to my house...when he had the car...

"What's wrong with your car?" I asked...

"Nothing," he replied, "It is just in for a check-up!"

As we drove, I thought about the fact that he has driven 3 cars and all of them are made by the same manufacturer...

From his stories...this was the only brand he ever drove...

"Why do you always buy those cars?"

"In my book...auto is a 3-letter word!"

"All others are imitations..." 

"I would call that quite a compliment for that company...if all of the others are imitations..."

"That is true...if they were true imitators...but they lack substance..."

"But isn't imitation the greatest form of flattery?" I asked

"Only if it is real on no a facade...otherwise it is a total insult!"  He replied

"I hope that you are not insulted when they call us clones"

"Not in the least!  I am complimented...I believe that this observation, by others, is based more on our results than on our behaviors..."

"This characteristic and this characteristic alone is the differentiator...if it provides great (altruistic) results...or at least the intended results with consistency...then it is OK"

"You and I go into organizations...and make differences...you in your way...and I in mine..."

"I know that we are not the same in any way shape or form...but we always seem to end up at the same place..."

My car (or whatever I presumed it to be) came to a stop in front of the Service Center.  The manager came running out like he was greeting an old friend...called him by name and asked him if he could get him a cup of coffee or anything...he totally ignore that he looked like he had just been processed by a food grinder and was still seeping blood from a few wounds!  I just smiled...rolled down the window and asked if I needed to wait...

The duo walked back to my car and the Service Manager introduced himself...and explained that he was so happy to have him bring his car here...he had seen it out on the road and wondered who was servicing it...

"Is this his first time here?" I asked

"Oh YES!  Previously he was taking it to the dealer in the north" the service guy explained

"See why I drive these cars?" he prodded

A few other cordialities were shared and I drove off...

As I drove I mentally planned getting the first-aid kit out...then the rum...no I should get the rum out first...

I decided that it would take a few minutes for him to arrive...so it wouldn't matter which one I got out first...

I pulled into the driveway and looked in the rear-view mirror and he was right behind me!

I got out of my car and he, his...

"I have to say that you drive fast!"

"How long did it take for you to check out?"

"I didn't have to check out...he brought the keys to me and walked me to the car as you left...he explained what they did and had a full set of documents on the seat for me to review...in case I had any questions...I could look at them...and if after that...I could call them...but from my perspective I was good to go...and that is what I have that auto for...to go...I was on the move before you left the lot..."

"NOW THAT'S SERVICE"

"That is not service...it is a part of the auto...a critical component that should be emulated by all of those auto wannabes!"

"I think that you pay for that service and attention to detail in the price of your car..." I observed

"I disagree...the more interactions that I have with this company...the more that I realize that you pay for that service in the next car you purchase from them..."

"They make the initial investment in the relationship...and it pays off with customer loyalty..."

"They only lose money if you are not a repeat customer...and then it most likely something that they did to you and deserve!"

"That is an attitude...OK...a behavior that we should all emulate...A focus on repeat sales...not just on the immediate return...but an eye on the future..."

"That company will be here long after Yugo." he smiled...

"They may never be the biggest...but they easily could become the only one!"  he laughed...

We walked into the house...I gave him a choice of consumable alcohol or topical alcohol...he chose to consume it first...then apply it...

We dressed his wounds...

...found a pair of pants for him...

...checked out his bike...and straightened his front wheel slightly...

As we focused on our somewhat rote tasks...I thought about what he was saying...and suddenly realized that this may be the conundrum that "marathon man may be in...

He runs marathons because he is imitating the behavior of someone that he aspires to be...but will NEVER be...

Now he is emulating me...I AM NOT FLATTERED IN THE LEAST!  In fact...I am insulted!

That man is giving me a bad reputation...I have to do something about that!

The man is simply a photocopier...he can not do anything original...

He throws quotes out like he said them himself...but he never really can integrate them into his own brand...he has no brand...he is a Yugo!

As we worked...I think he was watching my face...

"Murder is not one of your options," he mentioned out of the blue...

"What? Who?" I responded

"Your face looks like you want to kill someone!"

"Remind me to NEVER play poker with you..."

"You don't!"

"I know!  But if I ever consider it..."

"What got you so angry?"

"I was thinking about marathon man"

"You realized that he was simply imitating you huh?"

"Flattering wasn't it?"

 "I now see what you were talking about...if someone we respect emulates us...it is a compliment...if someone we do not respect imitates us...we are insulted..."

"So what part of that equation do you attack...you or him?"

"Hand me that alcohol..."

"Which one?  The one for the outside...or the one for the inside?"

"Are you planning on altering the environment or the behavior?"

When do you Accommodate?

We both needed food, so we decided that we would go shopping together...

Being creatures of habit...we both frequented the same local market...in fact, often enough that we knew it well...but each, in our own way...

Both of us had our lists...his facilitated a counter-clockwise path of efficiency, my list was written in a clockwise path...

I thought it more efficient to go with the flow...and he felt it better to go against it...

Rather than compromising the order of our personal lists and plans...we found carts and parted our ways at the entrance...he traveling right, then left...and me to the left, then right...

"This is going to be an interesting test...we'll see who is right," I thought

Although I had significantly more items on my list, we actually finished at the same time and met at the check-out area...

"An interesting grocery store lesson...Direction is simply a matter of preference...and has no bearing on efficiency...or success" he laughed as we again passed each other...

I guess he was thinking the same thing as I was!  The test proved that it was simply a matter of preference...

He had his favorite cashier and I had mine...between us and freedom from the perils of shopping, a hoard of other buyers...were queued and waiting their turn in the line...

He took his place in his line and I in mine...we moved at the same pace, and we just patiently waited...

...and listened (eavesdropped) to the many different and interesting conversations going on around us...

Some were entertaining and others discomforting...

As something of interest was noted...he would wink and tip his head in the direction that I was supposed to shift my attention...I did the same when I caught the words before him...

One conversation immediately and simultaneously drew both of our attentions...

Two nicely dressed ladies were talking about work...

"I know...but he is the boss...he is just plain weird and has his idiosyncrasies...we just have to accommodate him...and put up with it..."

I knew that this single comment would cause him interject his opinion and guidance to these town people...

"Excuse me...I couldn't help but over hear what you just said..."

"Can I ask you why?"

"Why...what?" One of the two responded in perturbed voice

"Why you would put up with...or accommodate a boss' idiosyncrasies...if it bothers you enough to talk about it...you should do something about it..."

"Being a boss doesn't give a person a right to have idiosyncrasies...in fact it demands just the opposite..."

"Mister...the guy is weird...and he controls the money and we have to put up with him...that is just they way the world is...if we want a job and get paid and buy food..."

"From my perspective...the only people who have a right to have idiosyncrasies...that is to be fringe-dwellers and are people who can not help it...the handicapped or amputees...the mentally retarded people...or psychologically impaired...  These are the only people whose idiosyncrasies should be put up with...and then, as I think deeper about it...only within certain limits..."

"People...especially those who are in leadership positions...should be adaptive and sensitive to the needs of others...they should be constantly scrutinizing their own actions...looking for things they can change...to make it better and easier for the people that they work with and for...not harder..."

"I think that we often think that being weird is just their problem...It is not...many people allow them to get away with it...they do not call them on it...and as a result...they think that it is permission to be weird!"

"No one has permission (or a right) to be weird...or different...or idiosyncratic...when it bothers or hurts or upsets someone...that is just plain wrong...it is selfish and immoral..."

"A person only has a right to have an idiosyncrasy, if that idiosyncrasy is one of uncompromising pursuit of making every day significantly better...for themselves and more importantly...others..."

"I wish you were my boss...our workplace would be so much better..."

"I am the way I am because of people who were not afraid to tell me that I was acting weird...and I was willing to learn and change...but I can tell you that most of it was because they wouldn't quit on me..."

"This important lesson I had to be taught by people who cared...about me and themselves..."

"Perhaps you can teach your boss a thing or two...when you do...just be sure to give him a way out with dignity...don't just go to him with criticism...also give a suggestion for improvement...with it will come success..."

"He'll appreciate that...and you will have done your part to make your, and his, life a bit better..."

Then he went quiet and began unloading his cart...

The two ladies finished their transaction and left...planning on how to talk with the boss.

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" I commented...

"It was nothing more than my advice to a person with a need...all you have to do is open your eyes...everyone in our lines have needs...needs are as numerous as there are people...some you can help...others are beyond your ability...just look for them...and at the first open door...grab that opportunity...and remember sometimes YOU have to open the door..."

As we "checked out" he continued to ramble...

"You know...they've paved paradise and put up a parking lot..." he said in a rather lyrical way... 

"HUH?" I was confused...

"It's an old song that I used to listen to a lot...it was really popular in my country..."

"I think it was popular here too...it just sounded too cliche for me to pay much attention..." I responded

"The message of that song was that most people don't realize what they lost until it is gone..."  I was thinking that most organizations do not ever realize what they have lost either...the problem being being they never realize what they lost..."

"Many GREAT people leave because of politics and idiosyncrasies..."

"As a result...Leadership is a huge burden..."

"Let's look at one of the most important roles of a great leader..."

"1 - Attract Great talent..."
"2 - Engage Great talent..."
"3- Retain Great talent..."

"A leader that can not do that is not meeting one of the most basic and important roles...and their leadership should be questioned...heck they are getting paid to do that...whether or not it is specified in their bonus plan...if they are not attracting, engaging and retaining great people...then they are remiss and failing on one of their basic leadership performance requirements..."

"Let's think a bit deeper..."

"If a leader has idiosyncrasies...they may be able to attract and engage...but retaining a great person nears impossibility..."

"Now...Let's change the thought just a bit...

Leaders are simply representations of the organizations that they lead...

Organizations, too have idiosyncrasies...except those idiosyncrasies are generalized and called...POLITICS..."

"It doesn't take long for people to realize an organization that has unbearable politics...and they leave them or avoid them like the plague...at least the good people...and those organizations end up with a population full of political fools!"

"That is when a vicious circle is created...and the death spiral is inevitable..."

"Great people are lost to organizational idiosyncrasies...Organizational Politics..."

"The bottom line is that you can not pay a person enough...or give them enough perks to make that political garbage worth their while...unless they are incompetent or desperate!"

"An organization only has a right to be political, that is to say to have organizational idiosyncrasies...when those politics ensure an uncompromised pursuit of continuous improvement..."

"Gee...I think that I heard that before," I laughed...
Then his attention was shifted by the cashier...

"That is a unique way of looking at things," I noted, thinking it would spur on more thoughts...but it didn't...

He pushed beyond the end of the check-out line and parked while I finished up...

As we pushed our bounty out to our cars, I stabbed at getting the conversation back on track...

"If I combine what you told those ladies...with what you told me...there is an interesting conclusion..." I prodded...

"What is that?...I think that I was absolutely consistent..."

"You said that the only justified idiosyncrasies are those of physical or mental handicaps...am I correct?"

"Although not a quote...you are pretty close to what I said..."

"I would say that you allow for a plea of insanity...the inability to cope or adapt...otherwise an individual or organization should adapt...right?"

"That is right...the only right the we have is to get better...so making the majority adapt is not a right of leadership..."

"In both the individual and the organizational examples...you used the word idiosyncrasy to describe the situation...right?"

"Yes I did..."

"...And the words politics and organizational idiosyncrasies can be used interchangeably...right?"

"Exactly..."

"So I can conclude that you think that organizational politics could be called an organizational handicap or even organizational insanity..."

"You followed those two conversations perfectly!"

"Organizational Politics are pure insanity! They are self-serving...and immature...it is the behavior of preschoolers, allowed to control an adult world!"

"It may even be worse than individual insanity...because you can not isolate an organization from humanity by secluding them in an asylum."  

"Organizational politics will run rampant for the next decade or two...(this conversation took place in 1981) and then, organizations will slowly realize how destructive it is...those destined to failure will not...and those who survive will take the necessary actions to clean up their environment...but it will be a slow and painful change..."

 "Many organizations attempt to justify the existence of politics by calling it the way they get things done..."

"The essence of it is...that they are saying that it is a process..."

"I agree with the fact that it is a process...but in their context...it is a euphemism..."

"From my perspective...it is actually...a process of compromising great ideas and suggestions through the coddling of tender egos and the incompetence of immature people who are afraid to face facts..."

"As your career grows and you build an organization...stick to data and insight...do not fall into the regressive trap of politics...that is a game for grade schoolers...not adults...you are better than that!"

"Speak the truth clearly, slowly and repetitively...and always based on facts..."

"If they refuse to listen...leave them to their own demise...most will fail...some will grow up"

"Your ice cream is melting" I noted...

"You haven't unloaded your groceries yet...let me help you..." he replied...

As we walked to my car, I quietly pondered what he had just said...

He intuitively knew that he had said more than enough to get me thinking...

We loaded my car and I walked him back to his...

"I have one final question to ask you..."

"Ask away my friend..."

"How do we make organizations see the destructiveness of a political environment?"

"That answer is really easy...perhaps the easiest one of the many questions that you have asked in a long time..."

"There is no efficient route...I'll take the counter-clockwise path...and you take the clockwise path...I'll meet you at the cashier..."

"What matters is choosing a path and sticking to it..."

"If we do not get a move on...our food will spoil and we'll not eat!"

With that he rolled up his window and drove off...leaving me with my list...

He was right!

Passion & Capability, Chapter 5

I couldn't help but feel the sponginess of the running track's surface, as we walked laps.

It felt good on my feet... 

As I pondered this physical experience...I had to laugh at the parallel universes that we unintentionally created by our exercise routine.  My latest challenge was not unlike the track we were on...soft and spongy...clearly marked lanes and absolutely circular...about the time you thought you had finished...you were back at the beginning!

We walked at a gait that made talking nearly impossible...suddenly he slowed...and he began to chatter...

"A person can put on running shoes...but that does not make him a marathon runner..."

"When I was in the army...we used to say that a person could put on a uniform...but that didn't make him a soldier..."

"When I went to college...we used to say...you can put on a helmet and your pads...but that doesn't make you a football player..."

"When I moved into industry...we said...you can have a title...but that doesn't make you a leader!"

"From what I am hearing...you seemed perplexed by the challenges that I am facing," I prodded..."

"I am not perplexed...your challenges are bringing back some interesting experiences and thoughts..."

"It reminds me to always keep, what I claim to be and what I produce, in the forefront of my mind...you can not take that for granted..."


"A person is either a contributor to THE GAME that they are playing...or...they are being carried by the team..."

"...if you are a defensive player...your goal is to stop your opponent from scoring...if you can not specifically point to the number of points that you stopped...then your team is carrying you..."

"...the same holds true for an offensive player...if you can not count the number of points you made...then the team is carrying you..."


"In an individuals' game, like running...putting on a pair of shoes and running is not racing...

"...have you bettered your previous time?"

"...Have you placed higher in the final rankings?"

"...If you can not answer yes...you are letting your team (yourself) down..."


"In leadership...title is just like the uniform...it's permission to play the game...or run in the race...but as with sports...you are a contributor...or the team is carrying you!"


"A leader has many roles...if a leader ever says...that is not my job...it can be an indicator of a leadership weakness...ultimately every job under their control...is their job...if they are not doing themselves...they have found a way to get it done better..."


"I find it distressing when I find a leaders who is being carried by the team...they ultimately are not on their game..."


"It is just like watching a football game and seeing the star just slack-off"


"That game is lost"


"Companies need to develop ways to identify those who they are carrying and address those issues"


"In sports...they do a pretty good job of doing that...

"...When a player is in a kids league...everyone gets playing time..."

"...As the game gets more competitive...more serious...the poor players get less and less playing time...if they play, they are simply placeholders to give the real players a rest..."

"...In invitational sports...bad players do not get invited back...to do what they do...(kind of like consulting, huh?)..."


That is because you either score points or divert points...that is an easy count...or you either place...or win...that is an easy count...if you do not do that...you can't really call yourself a player...you really aren't part of the team...and should delude yourself into believing that you are..."


"Leaders are organizational players...many wrongly think that they are simply team coaches or managers..."


"That is wrong"

"Great leaders recognize the fact that they are fully responsible for every job under their control...and that they have hired others, directly or indirectly, to help them..."

"Normally a leader "washes their hands" of the task...and then becomes a critic...rather than showing the appreciation for the help!"

"A Great leader steps up and works along side those who are on their team..."

"A leader's responsibility is all about Satisfaction...Involvement...Engagement...Promotion..."

"Those things can not be done from behind a desk..."

"But must be seen consistently in the trenches..."

"When I think about it...This is the epiphany that your "half-man" must have..."

"He does not have to see how is department is performing...his department has captured that reality..."

"He needs to capture the true essence of leadership...and how he is falling short...when that happens..."

"Don't you mean IF?" I asked...

"IF is not an option, for you..."

"You need to run in circles around that proverbial "organizational track" until you and him cross the finish-line together..."

"Just remember that he is a marathon man...or at least he thinks he is...he has some endurance...and can hold on to his race longer than most people that you have encountered..."

"I am done with this exercise...are you?"

I agreed...

"Let's go see how you do on the next race..."

Passion and Capability - Chapter 4

During the weekend it was not a time for rest...

I had many things to prepare...before the epiphany (that he predicted) occurred...

THEN...

He appeared at my door and before I could customarily greet him...he began...what I predicted would be a LONG dissertation...

"I have been thinking...There are two operators that come into play with rational thought...intellectual rationalization and experiential rationalization..."

"...if properly used each will come to the same conclusion...that is...when given the same challenge..."

"...HOWEVER..."

"Intellectual rationalization can contain flaws within its assumptions...and experiential rationalization can contain flaws within its interpretations..."

"Individuals can and will intellectually rationalize their situation with flawed assumptions...and then this operator becomes the enemy...of truth"

"...Others will interpret their experience to suit their desired outcomes...and use it as a shield behind which they rationalize their current state...and again...defend themselves and guess what?  This becomes an enemy of truth..."

"Your greatest allies are also your greatest enemies!"

"We are going to have to look at your plight...using the analogy of medieval warfare..."

"I have never looked at my career as me being a knight in shining armor...but it has a nice feel...this could be fun!" I laughed.  He didn't see the humor in it...he was dead serious...so I decided that I would listen!

"YOU my friend are living in a siege situation..."

"Your challenge sits behind MASSIVE castle walls...and you have surrounded them..."

"...all you can do is continually lob reality over their walls..."

"They will finally see it for what it is...and surrender...not to you...but to reality..."

"But it is the weekend...I have no contact with them...how can I continue to keep reality in their faces?" I asked, "This sounds like it is going to be a long siege..."

"It will not...stay on your path...that department is working diligently, as we speak, to prove you wrong...if you did your work correctly...they will not be able to rationalize any other conclusion...than the ones you drew for them..."

"...every counter attack...will turn on them...that is the beauty of solid data..."

"I hope my case was air-tight" I said as I began to second-guess my work...

"Don't worry...I know you have done OK!"

"If not...remember that this is a siege...just because they didn't surrender today...you have the entire world behind you...their castle is small, their supplies limited and it will soon fill up with their own excrement..."

"You have a unique way with words!  I so enjoy the visual imagery that it elicits!" I chided, "When does the knight ride in?"

"Stop with the knight...there is no knight in this version of the vision!"  He laughed...
Truth is not often found in words, but in the repeatability of the messages that are found in the patterns.  Pattern recognition is an advanced form of intelligence...and the more intelligent people find the similarities in obscure events..."

"Think about this..."


"The elementary thinkers only see similarities in exact events..."


"As one grows wiser...drawing the parallels between unrelated events grows more astute..."


"Although I can not yet fathom it (and this is purely philosophical)...I believe that the ultimate intelligence would recognize everything as one thing...and totally related..."


"What an admirable goal to strive for...!"


My advice is that you double-check your "boulders" and ensure that they are granite and not sandstone..."


"Your catapults are sound..."


"Make sure you have sufficient ammunition...and the confidence to stand your ground..."


"They are surrounded...any attempt to escape means that they run into you!  You have them surrounded...you have an infinite number of escape routes to use...since there is an entire world behind you!"


"For you...this weekend is nothing more than ensuring that your confidence is strong..."

I took his advice and checked and double-checked and triple-checked every measure and conclusion...and the weekend passed quickly...

Monday morning, (as he predicted) was full of subtle counter-attacks...fully comprised of misinterpretations and misrepresentations.   My response was to quietly stand my ground...and continually (and VERY publicly) recognized that my conclusions may be wrong...and I needed help to see the errors of my way!  I asked them to show me what was wrong with them...

Each time they attacked "my numbers" a piece of their wall crumbled!

By the end of the day...their fortress was in shambles...and they stood behind proverbial piles of debris...

Most crawled out and came to "the acceptance phase," other refused to admit it and continued to hide behind the piles...and continued to make claims of conspiracies and "witch-hunts"

That was when I remembered something I heard him (my mentor) once say publically..."If I am on a witch-hunt...the only ones that need to be afraid...are witches!"

I had an idea...There was a person at this organization that I had labeled "the myna bird."  It was easier to get information out and across the entire organization...all I had to do was tell him something in confidence...it was faster than through memos and newsletters and meetings...

I took a walk and found him...I displayed frustration I was having with the accusations of the department and then I told him that "in truth" I was on a "witch hunt"...I was looking for the reason(s) behind the organization's poor performance...and that I have been charged with and will eliminate it (them)...pure and simple...

It was the truth...and I knew that by day's end, the entire organization would know it!

and as predicted...that message spread like a brush fire in a gale!

One by one...the "hold outs," not wanting to be tagged as the "witch" came out of hiding...that is...except for "marathon man."

"Marathon Man" (actually half-marathon man) still stood behind his facade and touted his running ability, rather than his performance as a leader...in fact, the frequency of his talking about races increased to a point that he seldom talked about work or when he did...it was always about past accomplishments...

I gave up...and simply left him in his world of denial...

The week passed and great headway was made...with everyone but him...

I was perplexed and wrapping up the week...sitting in my office...when I heard "half man's" (Which is what he was now tagged) voice just outside my doorway...

He was talking with a sub-ordinate's sub-ordinate's subordinate...an outspoken lady...who always had something to say...but what was delightful...it was almost always right!

She had come to him with some ideas for improving department performance...and from what I could hear...they were well thought through and sound!

He almost immediately went into his "marathon thing"...and she didn't take have the time or patience for the platitudes!

"Tell me what your running has to do with me?" she asked..."It doesn't guarantee that I'll have a job tomorrow...or a promotion because I learned something new...it doesn't feed and cloth my kids..."

And with that she stomped off...walked past my office and winked...

He followed shortly thereafter and hesitated at my doorway...I looked up and greeted him...he started to talk...then sighed...shrugged his shoulders and walked back to his office...without saying anything meaningful...

No sooner had he left and my phone rang...

He was laughing..."Sometimes the most devastating boulders are not the ones you throw...huh?"

To be continued...