summerscaptions:“You see, it’s a simple problem of resource management.”Mr. Grossman looked around t
summerscaptions:“You see, it’s a simple problem of resource management.”Mr. Grossman looked around the room, at the assembled staff before him. Mostly secretaries, some middle managers, and even two department heads. The one thing they all had in common was the fact that they were all beautiful women.“Efficiency is a core issue for any large corporation these days, so we try to reduce redundancies anywhere that’s possible.”They were all staring at him. Many were quite glassy-eyed by now. A few were even slack-jawed. One - Mariah, he believed her name was - seemed to be trying to turn her head away from him, physically resisting the urge to simply sit and stare and soak up his words. She wasn’t succeeding.“Everyone needs a particular role, and everyone needs to know their place within the organization.”They’d all sat in this room for about half an hour before Mr. Grossman entered. Unknowingly, they’d breathed in a strong mix of sedatives, hypnotics, and other assorted aerosol chemicals. They were half-entranced before he ever opened the door.“Some of us - like myself - are leaders, while others of us - like you - are followers.”A few heads bobbed in soft, docile nods. Most of them just continued staring. Kathryn, one of the higher-ranking women in the room, was frowning, but even she had a look in her eyes that betrayed how lost and confused she felt. Her displeasure was knee-jerk, reactionary, and it was fading.“To reduce unnecessary effort and strain, from now on, all of your thinking will be done for you, by a supervisor or manager.”Was that relief that showed on some of their faces? Did they seem happy about this news? They should. At this point, the struggle of thinking clearly for themselves must have seemed insurmountable.“Your thoughts, ideas, and opinions will be supplied for you, so you can put all of your energy into the duties of your job.”Mr. Grossman looked at Kathryn again. Her frown had faded, leaving her with a blank, receptive look on her face. Perfect. He didn’t spot any more signs of resistance from the rest of the women.“Most of you will be reassigned to new, specially created positions directly attending to some of the highest ranking members of the company, such as myself.”Some eyes widened at that. The privilege of working directly for a CFO, a VP, an executive board member - who could turn that down? All of them wanted to climb the ladder here, and Mr. Grossman was giving them a golden opportunity.“Of course, you’ll be expected to go above and beyond, providing any and all services your new boss requires.”Heads bobbed all over the room, like a chorus of puppets. “Now, if you’ll all just wait here a moment, I’ll return shortly with your new assignments.”It had been hard work, splitting up the staff among the highest ranking members of the company. Plenty of squabbling over who got who. However, when they left that afternoon, each with two or three new personal aides eager to let their new boss think for them, everyone agreed all the effort had been worth it. -- source link