It was insulting that she didn’t think I could. “I buy businesses that I know I can make better. Businesses that I see are not living up to their full potential. I saw that in this business. It’s why I bought it. I think you believe this is personal.”
That familiar flash of anger in her blue eyes told me this wasn’t working. It was still not going well. “You truly are the most arrogant man I have ever met,” she said with a sigh. “Do you ever think of anyone else but yourself?”
“All the time.”
“No, you don’t,” she said. “I don’t care who or what you do. You do you. You are the one making this personal.”
“I’m not trying to,” I defended.
“That’s just it. You don’t have to try. You just do it. I don’t have a personal problem with you. I have a problem with your professional decisions. To be very blunt, you’re wrong. You’re making decisions based on something that might have worked in one place. You aren’t looking at what is working in another place. You’re making bad decisions.”
I was not used to hearing that. It had been a long time since anyone argued with me. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I stand by my decisions.”
“Great,” she said with a tight smile. “I guess time will tell if your decisions are as great as you think they are.”
“You doubt they are?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I think a wise leader knows when to listen to his people. I think you should consider the fact I’ve been in the job for years and have a better understanding of the inner workings than you do. The people that work for me, and you now, know their jobs a little better than either of us could. Granted, I could step in and do what they do in a pinch, but could you?”
“I wouldn’t need to,” I replied easily. “I would hire someone that would do their job as they were asked and as they were paid to do.”
“You don’t think that there are exceptions to the rule?”
“No.”
She slowly nodded. I could see her irritation with me growing. I wished I knew what she was thinking. I wasn’t surprised she didn’t like me after the way things ended, but I wasn’t sure why she disliked me so much. I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it was unsettling to see her openly despise me. Most people that worked for me tried to hide it.
“Do you want me to continue working at the office?” she asked and looked me dead in the eyes. It was blunt and put me on the spot. I liked it and hated it at the same time.
“I have no intention of firing you,” I answered.
“Do you want me to work there and continue on in my capacity as the manager?” she rephrased the question. “I need to know now.”
She was going to make me say it. “The work you do is valuable.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, you aren’t going to say it. Then let me say this. If we are going to work together, there needs to be an understanding.”
“That’s why we’re here,” I said. “To come to an understanding.”
“Not every decision will be yours,” she said forcefully. “When a situation arises, we will discuss it like grownups. You will need to listen to my input. I’ve been doing this a while and I do know how to run my office. I will keep an open mind, but I expect you to do the same. Yes, I know you’re the boss and it is your company. On paper, it’s yours. In that office, it’s mine. Those people don’t know you. They know me and I am the one that sees them every day. I am the one who leads them. If you don’t like the way I’m doing it, then you need to tell me now.”
“I don’t like it,” I said and watched her face express her shock.
“Okay. Can you be specific?”
“Let’s take Friday for example,” I started. “That woman with the kid. You gave her the day off after I said no. You let her go home and you did her work. That’s a sign of weakness. How do you expect them to respect you if you are a pushover?”
“I’m not a pushover. I’m empathetic to my employees’ needs. She was not going to give me her best work if she was worried about her child.”
That just grated on my nerves. “How convenient,” I