Awakening, 2nd edition by Ray N. Kuili

‘What do I want more than anything when I think about my future career?’ Let ’s hear this out.”
    “Success.”
    “Quick growth.”
    “Promotions.”
    “I want to serve my company to the best of my abilities.”
    Paul snorted loudly. Clark glanced quickly at him, then continued.
    “To run the company one day.” People in the room exchanged glances.
    “I want to keep on growing .”
    “My future career is highly questionable, considering the number of idiots around me.” This time the snort was collective.
    “Again,” sighed Clark, “this is not an answer to the question.”
    “I want to rise through the ranks quickly and easily .”
    “Manage a large division .”
    “Want to have my boss ’s job .”
    “Become a VP.”
    “Interesting, ” Stella commented quietly. “A VP. Not a CEO or a president. A very specific wish.”
    Robert shrugged.
    “The guy knows his limits.”
    “Comments?” Clark asked the audience, shuffling the papers slowly.
    “Someone has too many idiots to deal with, ” Joan’s neighbor offered his observation , flashing a white smile.
    “Good point, Chris, ” agreed Clark, glancing over the speaker ’s nameplate. It was impossible to tell whether he was serious or ironic. “Anything else?”
    “All the answers are obvious, ” the heavyset mustached man sitting at the leftmost table said dryly.
    “Really?” Clark looked intrigued. “And what is so obvious about them? By the way, would you please turn your nameplate to the right? There . Thank you, Brandon . So why did you find these answers obvious?”
    “Did you expect to hear anything else?” Brandon asked in reply. “You ’re making it sound like you were looking for some kind of revelation, but what else could you expect to hear?”
    “The truth, for instance, ” said Clark. “Can ’t say that I had high hopes to hear it , though. This is not the first class I ’ve taught .”
    “The truth?” Brandon ’s voice became considerably appalled. “Did I just hear you say that we ’ve all lied?”
    “Not at all.” I f Clark was concerned about Brandon ’s irritation, he didn ’t show it in any way. “I wouldn ’t say that your answers were purposely deceitful ; however , all of them—except, perhaps, one—were superficial. Although some were truly witty and a pleasure to read.”
    The explanation didn’t seem to satisfy Brandon .
    “I still don ’t get it. My own answers were honest, dead serious, and in no way superficial.”
    “Honest and dead serious—yes. Not superficial—allow me to disagree with that one.”
    Brandon stroked his mustache .
    “You’re welcome to disagree. But please be more specific.”
    “Certainly. That ’s why you are here. Let ’s take a look at the first question. What do we have here? I ’m in my place because my boss moved on, because my boss had been moved on, because my management values me, because my management adores me . . . Don ’t you find this superficial?”
    “Come on, we ’re all adults here, ” the athlete sitting next to Joan said in a deep, booming voice. “This is how it really works. I hope you ’re not going to preach to us about hard work that pays off, are you? Especially after your , ‘We don ’t care for taboos ’ introduction.”
    Clark nodded.
    “You’re right, Alex. In order to rise through the ranks, you do need to have management ’s admiration and a free spot to fill. But . . . is this the real reason for your being where you are today? Why don ’t you look back, into your past ? Go back a year, two years, ten years. Go back to the time when your management was trying to fill that entry -level lead ership position, which eventually jumpstarted your career in leading others. Why was it you ? Where did they get the idea that you ’d like to use this chance? There must ’ve been some indication.
    “Or consider for a moment what attract ed you to your job? How come you ’re not an engineer, a researcher, a journalist, a