By Don Tassone

Nick Reynolds, legendary food industry veteran, had just begun a special assignment with his longtime employer, Elgin Foods.  The final two years of his career were to be spent reinvigorating Elgin’s stale corporate strategy and making sure the right people were in place to lead the company forward.

It was a plum assignment.  It was also a way for Nick to save face and exit gracefully after years of bullying people had nearly cost him his job.

Fortunately for Nick, he had an advocate in Lou Bradford, Elgin’s CEO.  Nick’s business results were unmatched.  He had built Elgin’s snack cakes business into a world beater.  Bradford was reluctant to simply let such a strong performer go.  But he also genuinely believed Nick was well qualified for this assignment.  He knew Elgin’s business and its people well.

Or so Bradford thought.

“These people are crazy,” Nick told him after his first week in his new role.

“What?”

“The whole lot of them.”

“Who?”

“Our general managers, the ones you think should be running this company for the next 20 years.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, for starters, most of them don’t think we should even be in the snack cakes business.”

“Why?”

“It’s not healthy.”

“What?  It’s our healthiest business by far.”

“I mean they feel our products aren’t good for you.  They think we should be selling more nutritious foods.”

“Maybe they’re right.”

“But it doesn’t stop there, Lou.  They think our packaging should be environmentally friendly and our plants should run on renewable energy.  They want us to reduce our carbon footprint.”

“Well, we do have room to improve.”

“Improve?  Hell, Lou.  They want us to save the damn planet!”

Bradford smiled.  Nick gave him a curious look.

“Sorry, Nick.  But it just occurred to me these people don’t report to you anymore.  They’re probably just speaking their minds.”

“Maybe so.  But have you met with these folks lately, Lou?”

“Not as much as I’d like.”

“Well, good luck finding them.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean they all work from home now.  When I ask them to come into the office to meet, they act put out.”

“Well, after Covid, we did let everyone work remotely a few days a week.”

“I know, but I’m not sure how much they’re working at all.  They seem a lot more interested in making sure their teams are diverse than actually getting work done.  And have you seen how they dress?”

“It’s a new world, Nick.  Younger people don’t think about work the way we have.”

“But who’s going to do the work, Lou?  Who’s going to lead this company forward when hard workers like us are gone?”

Bradford sat back in his chair, closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips against the bridge of his nose.

“Look, Nick, I need you to do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

“I need you to put aside the past and try to see things as they are.  The world has changed, and these younger people aren’t like us.  If we’re going to have a thriving business tomorrow, we need to take a good look at the world and where it’s going, and we need to listen to the people who are going to take us there.”

“But Lou —“

Bradford held up his hand.

“Nick, I gave you this assignment because I thought you could do it.  I still think you can do it.  But only if you change.  Don’t expect the future leaders of this company to be like you.  You don’t have to agree with them, but you should respect them.  You have to take time to understand where they’re coming from.  They’re not crazy, Nick.  You just need to hear them out.  You’ve been in this job for a week.  I want you to come back to me in six months and deliver on what you signed up for.  But to do that, you’re going to have to start listening to people.  You’re going to have to change.”

Nick couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  He thought Bradford would be sympathetic.

“Nick?”

“What?”

“Are you still in?”

Nick thought for a moment.

“What are my options?”

Looking him in the eye, Bradford said, “Grow or quit.”

Nick blinked and sat back in his chair.

“Can I have some time to think about it?”

“No, Nick.  I need your answer now.”

Nick looked over at a display of vintage Elgin products.  Jim Edwards came to mind.  He had been a senior vice president at Elgin when Nick was a young manager.  Nick was struggling and was about to quit.  But Edwards saw his potential and saved him.

Edwards went on to mentor Nick until he retired.  Ultimately, he learned as much from Nick as Nick did from him.

Nick turned back to Bradford.

“Grow,” he said.

                          

                                                             *   *   *

Don Tassone is the author of two novels and seven short story collections.  He lives in Loveland, Ohio.  Visit him at https://www.dontassone.com.