VELOCITY - DEE JACOB [15]
“Actually, it was my idea,” said Peter, “unless she screws up.”
Nigel made an attempt to wink.
“Amy, we would like to offer you,” said Peter, “the position of interim president.”
“Really? President? Of Hi-T?”
“Yes,” said Nigel.
Within Amy, time and space seemed to expand, and bounds became boundless.
“President …” she murmured. “Of everything …”
“Well, no, just of Hi-T,” said Nigel. “We shall hold off for now on ‘president of everything’ for perhaps another day, another time. You would be interim president of Hi-T, although if you did well, it could become permanent. Now … Amy, are you listening?”
“Yes, I certainly am.”
“You would keep your current salary, of course. But there would be, in addition, significant performance bonuses that could possibly double your total compensation.”
Amy frowned.
“Is there a problem?” asked Nigel.
“Well, I’m not complaining about my current salary,” said Amy, “but I just think that if you’re going to make me president, even on an interim basis, that’s a lot more responsibility, and usually an increase in responsibility is accompanied by an increase in salary.”
Peter and Nigel exchanged glances.
“Amy, if you want the position, we’ll make it work as far as the money,” said Peter. “But we need someone now. Do you want the position?”
“Yes,” said Amy. “Yes, I do want it. Provided I have your word that you won’t bring in someone else in a few months. I’d like enough time to show what I can do.”
“All right. Good. And while I am not going to commit to any specific time period, I think that it’s not unreasonable to allow a year or so. Do you agree, Nigel?”
“Yes, but there’s one more thing,” said Nigel. “We feel you’re going to need someone very strong on the operations end – because of your limited experience in that realm.”
“Oh, I agree,” said Amy.
“So that is why we have here today – drum roll, please – the man on your right, who will be your right-hand man, Wayne Reese. We would like him to become Hi-T’s operations manager. Wayne is an expert in Lean Six Sigma – a Master Black Belt, if I’m not mistaken. He does have manufacturing experience, and most recently has administered our corporate-wide LSS initiative. He has volunteered to jump into the trenches and even to get his fingernails dirty, if necessary! So, Peter and I are confident that the two of you will make an excellent combination, with you, Amy, knowing Hi-T’s markets and customers, and Wayne using Lean and Six Sigma techniques to improve the operational end of things.”
“That’s absolutely great. Thank you,” Amy said. “Wayne, I look forward to working with you.”
Wayne nodded in a humble way, and said, “Same here.”
“Now, I emphasize, Amy, that Lean Six Sigma is to be taken very seriously,” said Nigel. “Admiral Jones is a keen proponent of LSS, and Peter and I made assurances to him that we – or, rather, you – would make every possible effort to accelerate the implementation of the LSS culture at Hi-T. Only with those assurances were we able to pacify the good Admiral. Therefore, Amy … you must move quickly and you must not fail. You must implement Lean Six Sigma without delay. We don’t want any more evening phone calls from the Navy – ever!”
Amy nodded soberly and said, “Right. I understand. Believe me, I will do everything in my power to keep the Navy happy.”
Peter Winn then stood and addressed Amy Cieolara as he extended his hand.
“Then do you accept the position, Amy?”
“Yes, Mr. Winn, I accept the position. Thank you again.”
And thus the glass ceiling of Winner, Inc., though it did not shatter, cracked.
3
In high school and later as a University of North Carolina Tar Heel, C. “Murphy” Maguire had played football on the defensive squad, usually as a strong safety, blocking and tackling opponents who were often more gifted with athletic qualities than he was, and doing