She was not afraid of me. She didn’t take my threats seriously. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. I was still trying to figure it out. But I also knew when to pick my battles. This was not one I wanted to engage in.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” I said and gestured to the chair. Her standing gave her the power. I never let anyone have the power over me. I took command of every situation.
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “I’d rather stand.”
“I’d rather not have this conversation at all but you’re the one in here making demands.”
She flopped down in the chair. “We have a problem.”
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you.”
She smirked. “You have a problem with everything. That has been made very clear.”
“I don’t wear blinders,” I shot back. “I see problems and I address them. I don’t brush them under the rug.”
“Good, then make sure you have your special glasses on because I’m going to point out a few problems you seem to have missed.”
“This should be good,” I muttered.
“Let’s start with what just happened with Hal. Do you know who he is?”
I shrugged. “Should I?”
“I suppose not because that would require you to give a—” She stopped her sentence. She cleared her throat. “It would require you to pay attention to the operational side of things. You’re too focused on those little spreadsheets you have. Hal is the client I brought in last week. He owns a chain of electronic stores. His account is worth a lot of money. You almost cost us that account. You treated him like shit. I had to kiss his ass to keep him from pulling his account. You have been preaching about money and so on. You won’t even let the employees have a damn Keurig because it’s too indulgent, but you are going to let a multi-million-dollar account walk out the door. Not walk, shove! You practically kicked him out.”
“I told him to make an appointment,” I defended. “Who shows up unannounced and expects a tour? What did he think he was going to see? Seriously? There is nothing here. It’s desks and computers. Big deal.”
“It is a big deal to him. He needs to know the people he is entrusting his money to are capable. He needs to trust them. He needs to trust you and me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
“This is careless. What you did was reckless.”
“Reckless? I didn’t want to give the guy a fucking tour. I’m not a tour guide. I’m not a cruise director. I own a business. If he wanted to see the place, he could have scheduled with you or the receptionist.”
She shook her head. “Fine, you aren’t going to agree you screwed up. Let’s move on.”
“Am I supposed to make myself available to do tours for schoolkids? Should I show them tax forms and how exciting it is to be a CPA?”
She practically spit fire through her nose. “I find all of this to be very serious. You are being sarcastic and cavalier. You are destroying this entire firm.”
“I am rebuilding this firm,” I countered.
“You’re too busy destroying it. You can’t rebuild something that hasn’t been destroyed, but I’m sure you’re on your way to flattening it.”
“I’m not destroying everything. You’re on the inside. You can’t see the big picture. You are too close to the problem.”
Her lips curled in. “I’ve had two people resign since you’ve come on. Two people in a week. We haven’t lost two people in a year. What do you think that says about you?”
“I think it says I’m strict and I have high standards. Few people can live up to my standards.”
“It says you have no people skills,” she said bluntly.
“No people skills?” I repeated. “I’m sorry, is that an important qualification to have to own a business and make money?”
“Yes.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Tomorrow, we are going to give you a crash course in the art of human decency,” she said. “We are going to teach you how to talk to people like they are humans that matter.”
That sounded like the worst day ever. “No thanks.”
“You do this, or you are going to lose a lot more,” she said.
I was certain I was picking up on a threat. “Are you suggesting people are going to quit if I don’t play nice?”
“I’m not suggesting it,” she said with a tight smile. “I’m telling you that is exactly what’s going to happen. No one is happy. No one