pants.
Chapter Five
At Martin Sporting Goods, the chief executive officer had decided on his second day on the job to institute something fun. Not a fan of private offices, he set up shop in a double cubicle and turned his office into a collaboration room where all staff could go in at their free will and get creative. He removed all stuffy office furniture and replaced it with funky table tops without chairs, a coffee bar that came complete with flavored creamers and artificial sweeteners, and a fridge stocked with fruit drinks, sodas and sparkling waters.
On his third day, he called us all into the collaboration room and told us we all needed to show up the next day with our two favorite CD collections, complete with CD covers that we were willing to forfeit over to him for our creative benefit. So, the next day, I handed him a Bruce Springsteen CD and a John Denver CD knowing full well Katie hated both of them. I knew this because every time Doreen played one of them on her iTunes, Katie would pop up in her cubicle and ask her to turn it down.
That morning, I walked into the collaboration room to get some coffee and, just as I tipped the coffee pot to my cup, in walked Katie. As if the universe mirrored my sentiment against her presence, John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” played out over the speakers.
She stopped short of opening the fridge and scanned my shirt. “Orange? Really? That’s an interesting choice. It so suits your magnetic, bold, and social personality.” She arched an eye and flaunted a smile as she opened the fridge and pulled out the vanilla flavored creamer. “Oh wait. This has nothing to do with originality, does it? You’re just following the Orioles crowd.”
I continued pouring the coffee and should’ve just ignored her, but the sarcastic side of my personality pushed my magnetic, bold, and social one aside. “Maybe I just like orange. It’s fun.”
“It’s one of my least favorite colors.”
“Not surprising.” I placed the coffee pot back on the burner.
“Ah, good jab.” She reached for the coffee pot.
I stole the creamer from the counter. “I emailed you some ad copy. Before you go changing the headline on me, I should tell you that Sanjeev already approved it.”
She narrowed her lips to the point they disappeared into her mouth. Her eyes zeroed in on me. “Why would you show it to him?”
“Because I really liked it.” I stirred my creamy coffee and brought the cup up to my lips for a sip. The warmth steamed my glasses. I pushed past her to get a napkin.
She cradled her coffee mug and laughed. “You’re so naïve, which is good for you. Reality can hurt.” She turned and walked away, tapping her heels into the ground as if hammering roofing nails with them.
I hated that her headlines outshined mine.
Two days later, Sanjeev called a meeting. He blew me away when he announced to the division that my work on a recent public service announcement won national attention and the segment would be showcased on the CBS news sometime later in the month. I focused the advertorial on sports and bullying and how teachers in elementary schools could better serve the needs of less popular kids by stepping up and protecting them from ridicule. The advertorial outlined some easy to implement actions. Katie had designed the ad, wrote the headline, of course, and changed the entire piece to suit her style. Apparently, when she read my words, she couldn’t follow my pattern of thinking, so she changed ‘a few things’ around. Admittedly, the finished advertorial shined brighter when Katie added the glimmer and the meat to it.
“Jane worked tirelessly on this assignment, researching and conducting interviews with school officials, teachers and even students.” I had lied to him about that. I actually researched all of it online, and Katie pointed out this weakness and conducted her own interviewing. “Join me in giving Jane a big round of applause.”
The entire
Chapter Five
At Martin Sporting Goods, the chief executive officer had decided on his second day on the job to institute something fun. Not a fan of private offices, he set up shop in a double cubicle and turned his office into a collaboration room where all staff could go in at their free will and get creative. He removed all stuffy office furniture and replaced it with funky table tops without chairs, a coffee bar that came complete with flavored creamers and artificial sweeteners, and a fridge stocked with fruit drinks, sodas and sparkling waters.
On his third day, he called us all into the collaboration room and told us we all needed to show up the next day with our two favorite CD collections, complete with CD covers that we were willing to forfeit over to him for our creative benefit. So, the next day, I handed him a Bruce Springsteen CD and a John Denver CD knowing full well Katie hated both of them. I knew this because every time Doreen played one of them on her iTunes, Katie would pop up in her cubicle and ask her to turn it down.
That morning, I walked into the collaboration room to get some coffee and, just as I tipped the coffee pot to my cup, in walked Katie. As if the universe mirrored my sentiment against her presence, John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” played out over the speakers.
She stopped short of opening the fridge and scanned my shirt. “Orange? Really? That’s an interesting choice. It so suits your magnetic, bold, and social personality.” She arched an eye and flaunted a smile as she opened the fridge and pulled out the vanilla flavored creamer. “Oh wait. This has nothing to do with originality, does it? You’re just following the Orioles crowd.”
I continued pouring the coffee and should’ve just ignored her, but the sarcastic side of my personality pushed my magnetic, bold, and social one aside. “Maybe I just like orange. It’s fun.”
“It’s one of my least favorite colors.”
“Not surprising.” I placed the coffee pot back on the burner.
“Ah, good jab.” She reached for the coffee pot.
I stole the creamer from the counter. “I emailed you some ad copy. Before you go changing the headline on me, I should tell you that Sanjeev already approved it.”
She narrowed her lips to the point they disappeared into her mouth. Her eyes zeroed in on me. “Why would you show it to him?”
“Because I really liked it.” I stirred my creamy coffee and brought the cup up to my lips for a sip. The warmth steamed my glasses. I pushed past her to get a napkin.
She cradled her coffee mug and laughed. “You’re so naïve, which is good for you. Reality can hurt.” She turned and walked away, tapping her heels into the ground as if hammering roofing nails with them.
I hated that her headlines outshined mine.
Two days later, Sanjeev called a meeting. He blew me away when he announced to the division that my work on a recent public service announcement won national attention and the segment would be showcased on the CBS news sometime later in the month. I focused the advertorial on sports and bullying and how teachers in elementary schools could better serve the needs of less popular kids by stepping up and protecting them from ridicule. The advertorial outlined some easy to implement actions. Katie had designed the ad, wrote the headline, of course, and changed the entire piece to suit her style. Apparently, when she read my words, she couldn’t follow my pattern of thinking, so she changed ‘a few things’ around. Admittedly, the finished advertorial shined brighter when Katie added the glimmer and the meat to it.
“Jane worked tirelessly on this assignment, researching and conducting interviews with school officials, teachers and even students.” I had lied to him about that. I actually researched all of it online, and Katie pointed out this weakness and conducted her own interviewing. “Join me in giving Jane a big round of applause.”
The entire
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