(dennis continues
his narrative of what he calls a “composite day” working for his boss, Carol.—Mark
Remond)
What goes on in a “bitch’s” typical day?
Plenty! So let’s get started…
Arrive at
office, check Carol’s email and respond where Her input is not specifically
needed.
Clean the
kitchenette, make coffee, unload the dishwasher, put away cups and saucers.
Set up
cups, saucers, cream and sugar in the board room in anticipation of staff
meeting this morning.
Get the
mail, gathering that which specifically needs Her attention; take care of the
rest.
Catch up on
filing, then order office supplies.
Clean and
polish the two pair of heels She keeps in the office; She broke a heel once so
spare shoes are worthwhile insurance. i check that we have sundries, just in
case – things like nail files, hand cream, a few pairs of earrings, pantyhose,
and so on. Little things that She just might need.
In
anticipation of an executive board meeting, check the board room, making sure
the writing boards are cleaned and the AV is operational; for good measure i
use the feather duster to make sure the room is in top shape for the seven
demanding Women who will soon be gathering there; they accept nothing less than
excellence!
Review my
reports in preparation for the executive board meeting. Yes, I have operational
responsibilities and participate in the meeting.
Go to the
parking deck to meet and greet Carol. “Good morning, Ms. Brown,” i say as She
points an authoritative finger and hands me Her keys. “Yes, Ma’am,” i respond,
fully understanding that Her car needs fuel and a wash and that Her dry-cleaning
needs to be tended to – my lunch time task.
i start to
ask Her a question about my lunchtime chores, but She as no patience for
questions. “Just do it, bitch,” She interjects, cutting me off. “Yes, Ma’am!” Enough
said!
i locate Her heels in Her totebag and place them
on the ground next to Her open door. She steps into the 3-inch taupe slingbacks,
leaving me to tend to the low heels She just took off. Carol drives in low
heels but wouldn’t think of wearing anything lower than a 3-inch heel for
business. High heels equate to power, and Carol wants that power! i put Her low
heel shoes into the tote, making a mental note to clean and shine them at some
point during the day.
i put Her purse
over my shoulder, Gather Her bags, and follow Her into the office, staying with
Her but a step behind. The sound of Carol’s heels on the hard floor sets a
cadence for the day’s business and announces that authority is approaching. Men
gathered around a coffee machine scatter like flies. Two other men call out to
Her, “Good morning, Ms. Brown!” She nods and smiles.
Two Women
approach.“Good morning, Carol.” Smiling, Carol responds, “Good morning Leslie
and Judy.” Both women are members of our
leadership development program. Carol comments to me that She appreciated the respectful
way She was greeted by the two men. “I’m glad you took care of that,” She says,
referring to a few past situations where proper decorum wasn’t observed. “Yes,
Ma’am,” i respond, adding that the expectation of proper respect for Women has
been communicated companywide. Women, regardless of level or company service,
are addressed as “Ma’am” and groups of Women as “Ladies.” This may sound trite,
but in a company that was previously run by a good-old-boy network and that
rarely promoted Women, even very qualified Women, culture change is difficult
and we are in the midst of a lot of it.
Before
arriving at Her office suite Carol stops to talk with two Women. i respectfully
greet them – “Good morning, Ladies” – and then stay a respectful distance back
while they complete their conversation. i continue to hold Carol’s purse and
bags – putting them down would not be respectful. As the conversation continues,
another Woman, one of our administrative assistants, walks down the hall with a
mesmerizing cadence of high heels on the hard floors. She encounters one of our
recently hired young men clearly anxious to help Her; he leaves with an armful
of copying She needs done, leaving Her to do other tasks or simply to enjoy a
cup of coffee. Culture change is working!
As we step
into Carol’s office suite, i take Her jacket to hang, noting the need to steam
it and decide to do so; i have a steamer and an iron in a back room and
frequently freshen Her wardrobe. i inform Her just in case She looks for the
jacket, but She has very little patience with me – “Just do it, bitch! Why do I
have to be involved?” As i put Her tote away, i remember Her low heels and set
them aside for a cleaning and polishing; again, i consider this as a part of my
job and i have the necessary supplies. While Carol sits down to peruse Her
paper, i serve coffee and put the board meeting agenda in front of Her. Then i
hang up Her coat and put away Her totebag.
i manage
Carol’s calls and appointments. When Her first call comes in, i answer and
immediately deem it a low priority; it’s something i can handle myself or hand
off but isn’t worthy of Carol’s attention. “i’m sorry but Ms. Brown is very
busy right now, may i take a message?” i’ll tend to this issue later, but only
because the caller was a Woman. Otherwise i wold have handed it off or ignored
it. Responding to Female staff is a great way to break from the practices of
the past and empower Women.
i greet the
Women as they arrive for the executive board meeting – “Good morning, Ms. Jones!”
Proper decorum is a must, and my preference is always to address Women formally,
even though many of these Women allow me to use their first name. It’s a
powerful group of Women, all company owners, and They deserve to be treated
with special respect and deference. As each arrives i ask whether she’d like
her usual beverage or something else. While we do serve the Women, tom and i
are also board members, so we’re soon engaged in business conversations.
The board
is assembled, and i greet them as a group – “Good morning Ladies, Carol will be
in shortly. In the mean time may i refill your coffee cups?” Carol enters a few
minutes later and the meeting begins.
(To be continued…)
