The Perfect Solution

The Perfect Solution
At precisely 2:32 A.M., Bob awakened from his
sound sleep with a start.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed aloud.
“Mmmmm?” his wife mumbled as her pleasant
dream was interrupted. “What’s it?” she asked
groggily.
A few minutes later, they were seated at the
kitchen table sipping hot tea. Their conversation was
intense. So much to consider. So many positives and
negatives to weigh. After all, this would be a major
change. A complete redirection.
“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Bob’s wife
wondered aloud.
“I don’t know. It’s worth a shot, though. That’s for
sure.”
Finally, at 4:49 A.M. Bob’s wife smiled and said,
“Bob, if you really wanna, you gotta go for it!”
• • •
When Bob the Tired from Lack of Sleep Manager
arrived at work that morning, he immediately placed a
call to the Chief Effectiveness Officer.
“Bob here. Any chance we could meet for lunch
today?” he asked tentatively.
The CEO checked her schedule. “I’ll have to
move one meeting, but I’m sure I can do that, so
you’re on.”
The lunch discussion went better than Bob could
ever have imagined, and when he returned to his
office, he phoned the HR Director. “Could the CEO
and I meet with you for a few minutes sometime this
afternoon?” She agreed, and the three of them settled
on Bob’s office at 2:15 P.M. Perfect! That’ll give me just
enough time to put my thoughts in order on my
computer.
When they got together, Bob wasted no time
getting to the heart of the matter. He handed an
envelope to the HR Director. She opened it, and to
her surprise, she pulled out Bob’s revised résumé. The
CEO simply sat there with a knowing grin on her face.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Bob?” the
HR Director asked.
“It sure is. I really ‘wanna’!”
The HR Director turned to the CEO. “What do
you think of this?”
108 / The Perfect Solution
“I can’t think of anyone better for the position.
I’m convinced he’d be perfect.”
“That’s good enough for me,” the HR Director
said with a smile.
She placed a quick call to Dave and explained
Bob’s idea. When she got off the phone, she smiled
and said, “Bob, I’m pleased to accept your application
to be our new Chief Effectiveness Officer!”