41 years old; divorced; public school boy; sales and marketing manager; energetic; enthusiastic; sporty; sociable; competitive; too busy for emails cuts to the chase and requests a schmeeting!!!
The Date
I meet Mr Middle Manager for a breakfast meeting as he has a super busy schedule as he and his team are right bang smack in the middle of a profits drive and it is HIS priority to WIN! Mr Middle Manager is dressed in a high street suit and tie combo that puts the colour blind to shame. I mean I really could do with some blinkers to soften the garish eclectic mix of patterns and colours! Is this power dressing for the businessman of 2009? Or does this guy get dressed in the dark each morning!!! Oh my gawd, I look down...is he wearing school shoes? His shoes appear to have a thick robust sole, laces and are very shiny! We greet with a handshake...Mr Middle Manager exercises his authority with a power knuckle crushing hand shake...he is one step away from leaping on the floor and having a full blown arm wrestle with me...this guy takes competitive to a new level! We sit down, order coffees and croissants and then Mr Middle Manager lays his cards on the table....well actually not his cards, his not 1...2....3 but 4 mobile phones and blackberry...crackberry devices...in case of a crisis call from the team at HQ! He tells me his IT man is totally incompetent and he has issues trying to divert old numbers to his new devices. He has a clip on his belt so he is always contactable 24/7 365! This to him refelects committment to the business! Is that his corporate pen I see peeking at me from behind his breast pocket...back to incompetent people...Mr Middle Manager cannot tolerate those around him who are useless and incompetent! he does not suffer fools he informs me...mmm...no comment this is coming from a man who is still having his feet measured and wearing Clarks shoes!!! He takes pride in telling me that his team work WITH him not FOR him and that's how he gets results! Mr Middle Manager announces...that he doesn't do job titles...he is a manager...a trainer...a coach..a mentor...just as he asks me a question about my work...his mobile starts to ring...apologies from Mr MM but this could be mission critical as he's been expecting a key call from the Board and as he steps away from our table...I roll my eyes and wait then I hear Mr MM tell his mother that he is in a very important meeting and he will call her later and the cat is convalescing well...he returns. He tells me about the projects he is currently heading up and the impact his involvement will have on the company margins and morale and how a promotion is imminent...not that he is driven by power...status...title...as he so ingrained in the concept of TEAM as he says there is no ME in TEAM! There is no ME in this meeting...only Mr Middle Manager. As we wrap up, Mr Middle Manager hands me his business card with his chest puffed up like a peacock. I ponder whether I should have prepared an agenda for today's brekkie schmeeting although no doubt Mr Middle Manager would be looking for the follow up items and minutes by lunchtime. As far as I'm concerned all items have been covered and there are no action points! Still searching...