Pieces of You by J F Elferdink Page A

especially from someone lacking seniority. Jim continued.
    “Gentlemen and Denise, I’m not going to play the authoritarian manager, that’s not my style; I want you to tell me what you’re capable of. To make this an impartial decision, I’m asking each of you to write a number on a piece of paper. Include a brief rationale of why you think this is a feasible goal and then send it to me through interoffice mail within the next forty-eight hours—that makes the deadline Thursday at seven p.m.
    “While doing your own estimates of market potential, please use our regulatory gurus, especially Gina. Once we calculate your responses, you’ll be the first to be notified of the results. A close second will be the public; I’m betting this will blow the socks off our stockholders!  I know you won’t disappoint me . A ny more questions?” 
    The silence was almost deafening, but no one broke it. As they left the room, two of Mark’s colleagues, those he would most nearly rank as friends, fell in line behind him.
    Steve, the younger of the two, had been a commercial loan officer for seven years and had the reputation of being something of a maverick. Consistently achieving a sales record in the top ten percent kept him off the list of ‘those who don’t conform and therefore must go.’
    His dark good looks and finely-tuned communication skills certainly contributed to his success but Steve’s greatest strength was his effervescent personality. Mark had once said he thought the term charming was created with Steve as the standard but, under duress, had amended the statement to put him just behind JFK.
    “Hey, buddy.” Steve said.
    “What you showed in there was either tremendous courage or unbelievable stupidity. I’m certainly not saying your question wasn’t valid but, even as new as you are, you must know that Jim doesn’t take kindly to having the merits of his plans questioned or his proposals rejected. I’d really miss you if you were ousted!”
    Denise, the newest and youngest member of the team and the only other person Mark trusted in the whole department, appeared unnerved.
    “You gentlemen are so much more knowledgeable than I about economics; sometimes I feel I was hired to be the token female. Even though my MBA focus was banking and I graduated pretty confident of my ability to make financial decisions, I’m beginning to believe that what I don’t know is much more important than what I learned in grad school.”
    “See, Mark, didn’t I tell you the lady has more brains than ‘you-know-who’!”
    “Steve, if you mean more than J im , not me, I fully concur!”
    Denise went on.
    “Since I started here, there seems to be no end to the training but it never goes beyond bank policies and sales techniques. Where does customer service fit in?”
    “Steve parodied their boss, “Gentlemen and Denise, customer service is a win-win; we serve our customers by fulfilling their dreams if they borrow now, at high rates. We also help them envision a secure future if they save now, at low rates; a double win.”
    Mark’s response to Steve’s diatribe fell into the category of yellow traffic signals. Denise gave a half-hearted nod to Steve. Fixing her gaze on both men, she responded.
    “I’m really worried, guys. It seems to me that Jim’s scheme is a huge risk to our bottom line. Could I possibly get some direction from a couple of brilliant bankers?”
    Their nods were synchronized to the degree that they might have been two heads supported on one neck.
    “All right, can we each commit to a little homework tonight and then find a private spot tomorrow to discuss our findings, maybe even our feelings, about Jim’s target?”  Denise suggested and continued.
    “Frankly, I feel like we’re being manipulated. It certainly blows my mind to consider such a drastic increase in real estate loans.”
    “I hear you, Denise, and I fully agree.” Mark responded. “Let’s return with justification for