It's Not Luck - Eliyahu M. Goldratt [10]
“Alex,” he says, “I have only one year until retirement. If you had some ammunition for me now, maybe I could have done something, but as it stands, I don’t have any choice but to collaborate.”
In spite of all the mental conditioning that I had tried to go through, I am still deeply surprised. The ace Granby had up his sleeve was me! There is nothing that can be done to stop that devastating decision? Through the fog I hear Granby: “Trumann and Doughty decided to directly supervise selling the companies.” When he sees my expression he continues, “Yes, Alex, I still have enough clout to fight it. I could postpone it for one year. But what’s the difference. Next year they would do it, and in my absence I would be the prime target for all the mud. No, I’d better bite the bullet now. What a bullet! I hope I won’t choke.”
“So, what should I do?” I ask. “Business as usual?”
“For your companies it is business as usual. For you it’s a lot of work. Trumann and Doughty have already lined up a series of meetings in Europe at the end of the month. You will have to accompany them.”
“Why in Europe?”
“Half the investment money comes from there, and besides, it is always a good idea to know what the international market is offering before you begin negotiations with the locals.” He stands up. “It’s a pity you didn’t have another surprise, but I understand. The market is more and more chaotic these days. It’s a good thing I’m retiring. I don’t think I have left in me what is needed to cope with such a market.”
As he accompanies me to the door he adds, “We both don’t like to sell the diversified group. Now all the snakes will come out of the closets. I hope that when the sales are over I will be left with some positive reputation.”
I leave him and head directly for Bill Peach’s office. I must get the full story.
Bill greets me with a big grin. “Did you noticed the maneuver our friend Hilton tried? But this time it backfired on him, the creep!”
Bill has his own reasons not to like Hilton Smyth. Not too long ago Hilton reported to him, but now they are on the same level. Hilton is an Executive VP in charge of as big a group as Bill is.
“Yes, I noticed,” I say, “but what did you expect from him?”
“He is sharp, .very sharp. Granby is not such a good horse anymore, so he tried to switch, he tried to snap up the CEO position. I should have thought of such a move,” he says, with a bit of admiration.
“Well, this time he is trying to play against Wall Street sharks,” I add. “He’s not even in their league.”
“Absolutely not in their league,” Bill laughs. “They played him like a violin, and once they got the resolution they wanted, immediately they turned back and put him right where he belongs, throwing all his investment plans in his face. I loved it.”
“I never thought that Hilton was a real candidate for becoming the next CEO,” I say. “You are senior and you have a better track record.”
He slaps me on the back, “A lot of my track record I owe to you, Alex. But no, I don’t fool myself. I’m not the CEO type. And after that board meeting, I don’t stand a chance.”
“What do you mean,” I ask, puzzled.
“You know; the decision to sell your companies. I was heavily involved in purchasing them, a lot of the blame will be thrown on me. At least enough to guarantee that I won’t be nominated.”
Now I am totally baffled. “Why are my companies such political poison? They are not bottomless pits anymore. Last year they even produced some money.”
“Alex,” Bill smiles, “have you checked how much we paid for these companies?”
“No,” I admit. “But how much could we have paid for them?”
“A bloody fortune. Granby was so hot to diversify, and remember we bought them in eighty-nine, when everyone expected a market up-turn—and you know what happened. Rather than going up, the market took a nosedive. I estimate that we paid at least twice what we can hope to get for them now. Alex, everyone involved in these purchases will catch some flack.”
“Wait a minute, Bill,” I say. “As long as we don’t sell the companies, they appear on