She kicked ass. They all did.
It was crazy to think last week at this time, I’d been thinking about flipping the tax firm and selling it for less than I paid. I just wanted out of the firm. I was going to chalk it up to a mistake and learn from it.
Then she walked through the door and it was like I was in a different office altogether. It was crazy. She waved a magic wand and here we were. I didn’t know exactly what she did, but I didn’t care. It was working.
I had very little contact with the staff. I barely even spoke to her. I had a feeling that was why things were working so well. The only reason I was coming in was to make sure they didn’t revert to the bad habits I was confident I had broken.
I flipped through the reports stacked in a neat pile on my desk. She was good. Damn good. I knew she was going to kick some serious ass when she started her own firm. She didn’t think she was going to be my competition, but I knew she would be. There were bound to be some clients that wanted to follow her.
That was a problem for another day. There was still a chance I could convince her to stay on. I hated the idea of begging, but the alternative was the steaming pile of shit I’d been dealing with before she’d come back. I was going to seriously have to think about giving her a big fat raise and convincing her to stay.
I worked through the day, bouncing back and forth between paperwork for the firm and my own company. It was good to be able to focus on my company. I heard the general rumble of a lot of people talking at once. I looked at the time, ready to put my foot down when I realized it was after five. I got up and opened the door. Everyone was milling about, walking out of the office as they chatted with one another. They were in much better spirits.
I noticed the light in Saige’s office was still on. She’d been working late hours. I knew she was balancing the work with her home life situation. She fed dinner to the staff last week and it had been a game-changer. That inspired me. It gave me an idea. I made a quick call and waited.
When the delivery driver showed up, I collected the food and went to her office. I knocked on the door and waited a beat before opening it. She looked up. “Did you need something?”
I held up the Styrofoam containers. “I ordered dinner.”
“For?” she asked.
“Us.”
I walked in and put the containers on her desk before pushing one across to her. She looked nervous. “Why?”
“Why? Because it’s dinner time and you’re still here. It’s not poison.”
She gave me a small smile. “Thanks.”
I opened the bag and handed her the package of plastic utensils and condiments. “I was going over the reports,” I started.
She sighed. “I knew there was a reason you came in here.”
“Will you not be so negative?” I said. “I come in peace.”
“What about the reports?” she asked without giving an inch.
“They’re good,” I said. “You’ve pulled a genie out of a bottle. I really thought we were screwed there for a minute.”
“Screwed?” she said with a laugh.
“Yes. Screwed. Fucked. I was looking at the end of the road and had no idea how to stop it from happening. You worked a miracle.”
“Thank you,” she said and actually blushed a little. It was a familiar look. It took me back to the first time we were together. She had an innocent quality about her that appealed to me.
“You’re welcome. How’d you do it?”
She shrugged as she took a bite of the lasagna. “I talked to them. And cheered them on. I rolled up my sleeves, I guess you could say. I got in there with them. I didn’t criticize or lecture anyone.”
“Are you saying that’s what I did?”
“Yes. I tried to tell you before your people skills left a little something to be desired. They are good people. You just need to encourage them instead of tearing them down.”
I nodded. “I think that is one management style.”
“It is a good management style.”
“But is it always effective?” I countered. “If you’re a friend, you’ll get walked all over. If you are always clapping and cheering them on, when are you correcting them? No one is perfect. If you let them run roughshod over you, it’s going to lead to disaster. It might be great right now, but it’s bound to lead to disaster.”
“You can provide constructive criticism without tearing into them,” she said. “There are bound to be some bad apples, but I firmly believe that good hiring practices can help weed those out.”
“Are you saying the people that are here are bad apples?”
“Not at all. I know change brings some discomfort. I expected there to be some waves, but you came in here and caused a tsunami. Can’t you admit you were a little heavy-handed?”
“I am very heavy-handed,” I said. “It’s effective. I don’t buy companies with the hopes of buying friends. I don’t need friends. I need good employees who will live up to my standards.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I think you can be friendly and respectful without being friends.”
“True.”
“Have you ever heard the phrase you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“That’s my style,” she said. “You said you wanted to know how I pulled off the miracle. That’s how. I have always found people are willing to work harder for people they like and respect than those they don’t like and don’t respect.”
“You don’t think they respect me?” I asked with a laugh. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Gee, I just don’t know,” she teased.
“Whatever it is you use, honey or syrup or flypaper, I don’t care. You do what you need to do. I’m glad you came back.” I said that with complete seriousness.
“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile.
“The people here respect you,” I said. “I can feel the change in the atmosphere.”
“That’s what a good leader should do,” she said. “You set the tone. You decide the mood. When someone isn’t feeling it, you step it up and pull them along. We all have bad days. You can’t be the bad day.”
“I feel like I should be offended,” I said with a small laugh.
“I’m not trying to be insulting. I am just being honest and maybe a little blunt. That seems to be what gets through to you.”
I nodded. “I tend to prefer people to be straight. I don’t like bullshit.”
“I remember that about you,” she said with a smile.
“You do?”
“I remember a lot of details about working with you. That’s the only thing that keeps me here.”
I raised an eyebrow. “The past?”
“Not that,” she said. “I remember your passion.” Her cheeks turned bright red. “I mean, your desire.” I had to bite my tongue. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was flustered. “I meant, you wanted to be the best in the field. You craved success and you’ve worked hard to get it.”
“And?”
“And what?” she asked.