Impressive ‘Star-in-Waiting’

Toni waited for a brief burst of hubbub to die.

“I guess that unless a miracle occurs, this club is sliding into history, ending its vitality, ending its story. I have given thought about what now? An idea began spinning in my mind. It’s this. You now have the opportunity to speedily form a group of investors, perhaps as a private unit trust, to contribute and raise money, lots of it, and buy back say three acres of the land. What for. Answer, on-sell it however long it takes to a retirement village developer.”

“You would need to seek expert legal advice about this. For example, a trust vehicle might not be the way to handle this.”

“Ormond currently has what is calls three nursing homes, all three in need of demolishing and rebuilding, according to what I’ve heard when visiting here in the past. A modern village could be developed in stages, as required, to accommodate seniors aged 70-plus attracted from the entire area of Ormond and its hinterland. Also, people from towns further away, even from Sydney may be attracted to modern home units in this beautiful setting of heartland Ormond.”

“That’s it. I worked hard on completing the first stage of promotion that your club contracted my firm to do. A couple of top creative colleagues assisted on request and we believe our work on Stage One has produced a fine result. That work, of course, is now being withheld instead of being unveiled to you and our firm will seek, along with other firms, to reclaim its costs from its client from the court-authorised officials, usually accountants, conducting the winding up process.”

“I did a double degree at university, communications which covers advertising, and a business degree, so I some knowledge about company liquidations. This club’s land is hugely valuable and that’s why I suggested quick moves to consider a land by-back involving those of you who have invested in the club financial and therefore may be joining the line of claimants.”

“Being first in line could be the key as I bet land developers are already sharpening their Ormond Opportunity pencils after hearing today’s news about the liquidation that will commence once the court releases its decision. Granting the application appears most likely.”

“That’s it and thanks for listening.”

The president and committee gave Toni a standing ovation and when it ended, she held up the rolled poster.

“Matt, this is the poster we designed for the Spring Race Day promotion and reflects the theme that would have been developed further on other promotional output. It’s yours, with our compliments. Perhaps it could be added to the ORC section at the town and country historic museum in Pioneer Street.”

Matt, appearing very moved, kissed Toni and she left the room to applause.

The ORC executive secretary, seated just inside the doorway, jumped up and accompanied Toni out.

In the foyer she said, “Toni, I’m absolutely staggered by what you said in there. I mean, you’re only just out of your teens. Even so, you demonstrated all the knowledge and credibility to sound like a hot-shot lawyer talking. How is that possible?”

“I open my mouth and the words just tumble out and roll into correct order, Miranda.”

“I believe it must be something like that to give you so much credibility. May I ask how do you know my name?”

“When you intercepted me earlier and clung to my arm to stop me entering the committee room, you said you were the club’s executive secretary and ordered me to stop.”

“I see. But I didn’t say my name was Miranda.”

“Correct, but our advertising contract with this club was signed on behalf of club by Matt the president and Miranda Thompson, executive secretary.”

“Oh. What a memory. Um, I had morning tea with the present and committee members immediately before your arrival and they were milling around looking like lost chooks. They were all saying ‘What now’ and ‘Will we be personally liable for anything?’ No one including Matt seemed to have a clue.”

“That cluelessness could be due principally to shock, Miranda. I think the club’s lawyers will be arriving soon to make things clearer.”

“God you are smart Yes, they arrive to start with lunch.”

“Bye Miranda. Oh, you should to get someone to the bank quickly to top up petty cash before your bank accounts are frozen.”

“I did that personally as soon as our bank opened this morning plus made a big drawing for the safe where we store what we call the President’s Slush Fund. The teller called the manager who examined my drawings and smiled at me and said to the seller, pay it out in cash Lucy. The accounts are not frozen until we are instructed to do that.”

“Bye, smart lady,” Toni said to Miranda who blushed heavily.

Outside in the carpark, Toni yawned sitting in her car and said aloud, “Fuck, I’ve been sweating.”

She called Brick and reported she’d expressed her condolences to the OCR committee and then spoke to the meeting briefly at the president’s invitation.

“What did you talk about?”

“I told it would take a miracle to save the club now and that I guessed they had to accept that. I suggested they could think about setting up a trust quickly and arrange a buy-back of a slice of land to on-sell in due course for a retirement village.”.

“You shouldn’t have said that as you are not a business adviser. It’s a great idea thought.”

“I was careful to identify myself that I was speaking privately. Also, their lawyers were due at noon and the lawyers would advise what will happen next and to answer questions.”

“Excellent, the lawyers would surely be asked about a buy-back proposal. At that thought, my mind rests a little easier. Look, go straight home after returning the rental and take tomorrow as a rest day and return here at 10.30 on Wednesday and come straight to my office. at 10.30 on Wednesday. By then Reggie and I will have sorted out your next assignment.”

“Choose a difficult account for me, Brick. You’ll know by now I like to get my teeth into something of substance.”

“Just make sure it’s not my butt you get your teeth into,” he laughed.

“Okay, I’ll think about doing as you requested.”

“Toni, for goodness sake, that was just a quip.”

“I know, and so was my response.”

She cut the call, grinning and thinking the slim guy’s ageing backside would be like dried-out leather, err, unless his wife oiled it regularly.

Wow, she thought, the curtain of unhappiness over her was lifting.

Chapter 5

Toni entered Brick’s office and he immediately came around his desk and kissed her.

Reggie sat sullenly and said hi.

Leaning against his desk, Brick said, “Reggie and I have mulled over possibilities and then it occurred to me that you’ve practically formed a very compatible team right before our eyes comprising you, Raewyn and Greg.”

Toni nodded.

“Reggie, I think it’s fair to say you were all for a three-person detached team within your department was a great idea until I said it should be housed in the former photographic and indoors film studio which relocated in a much larger and more modernised studio on the next floor up, which houses mainly admin.”

“That’s true,” Reggie said. “Also, I’m Old School in the believe that especially creative people need to be managed but as Brick says, the day is coming closer when groups in business enterprises based on team culture will become self-managed. He wants to experiment with the concept here because as he says WDID is based on the claim that we do it differently here. The concept has the likelihood of being a disaster, with especially efficient productivity that comes from a result of tight supervision and management taking a dive.”

Toni sighed and said, “Then company recruitment needs to change and hire people who already think and work outside of Old School ways to ensure self-manage units operate efficiency as principally young people are being educated with self-management philosophies in mind.”

“Excuse me for saying this Toni, but that claim is bullshit.”

Brick said, “Reggie, there’s one way to prove that self-management will work effectively with lower overheads through a considerable reduction of constant and direct supervision. If these three selected people agree to work together fulltime and without direct supervision, then the trial will start. I’m tossing in two factors here that potentially could cause dissent.”

“If those three take up the challenge, then they’ll also have to accept my choice of leader will be Toni and they’ll file a weekly report on production to you, Reggie and with new assignments you’ll have to confer with the team to set reasonable production targets. You’ll also have to check Toni’s weekly report on expenditure by the team. The report will have to update on-going spending and include expenditure forecasts in some detail such as cost estimates.”

“Will I be compensated for this extra work?”

“Yes, you are free to make a documented claim for an increase in salary, although being mindful that you are not working excessively within your regular weekly timeframe now.”

“Brick, I’ll have to have three more people to cover my loss of three people.”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, mate. You are not losing Greg, who as you know is attached to the Art Department. Although you lose direct control over Raewyn and Toni, they will be mostly engaged with clients who would have otherwise have come to your department anyway. Any questions, Reggie?”

“No boss, your thinking just now is clearer than mine. I’ll readjust.”

“Good man. Toni, are you for or against being included in the new independent team?”

“I’m in, if it goes ahead. May I suggest Raewyn should be leader. She has far more experience than me?”

“Now this answer to that is strictly confidential between us, right?”

Reggie and Toni agreed to that request.

Brick said Raewyn was too volatile to a good candidate as team leader and as for Greg, he was incapable of managing even holding on to a train ticket waiting for the arrival of a ticket-clicking conductor.

He walked to the drink’s cupboard and Reggie chose whiskey and Toni and Brick had tomato juice. The time was only 11.03.

As Brick handed over the whisky and Reggie said, “Thanks Brick. I say I must agree with your thinking on why you want Toni to be the team leader. Do you want me to talk to Raewyn about this?”

“No, I wish to read her face while she is digesting the news that a newcomer, as yet with only a fraction of her experience, is being named team leader. Her intelligence perhaps will tell her that Toni possesses a natural leadership style and she appears to have an unlimited capacity to produce creativity, which is what agency advertising is mainly about.”

“What do you think, Toni?”

“I should keep out of this, Reggie. But invariably I find it difficult to hold back. I think you don’t have to worry and I base this on only one thing. I don’t believe Raewyn has the guts to report a failure, so she won’t want to risk taking up a responsibility that might incur failures.”

Reggie sniffed and looked at Brick who shrugged and began to stare impassively at Toni.

Finishing their drinks, Brick told Reggie and Toni that at times he would call them separately or together as required, and didn’t believe such planning meetings would be frequent.

When that meeting ended, Brick called Greg to his office and explained the self-managed small independent team concept to him.

Greg asked only two questions.

“When does this start?”

“On Friday, hopefully, for the first briefing.

“Who will be team leader?”

“Toni, hopefully. But I need to talk to Raewyn first, in a few minutes.”

“Ah, Raewyn is the third person, great. But not as team leader. As a self-managing group, everyone needs to be happy with one another and with the system. As leader, Raewyn would spend some of her time bawling us out, particularly me, because that’s how she is.”

“That’s interesting comment, and thank you Greg.”

“Don’t say anything about this to Raewyn. I’ll call her in here in a few minutes. You’ll be advised of the new team’s first meeting for sometime on Friday with Reggie and me. I have yet to talk to Rosa your department manager, so say nothing to anyone just yet.”

* * *

On Friday, Toni, Raewyn and Greg met briefly before going to Brick’s office for their first meeting with Brick and Reggie for the launching of the new department.

“Are you guys happy with Brick saying I’m to be team leader?” Toni asked.

“It’s fine by me,” Greg said.

Raewyn stayed silent, spinning her cell phone in circles on her desk in their new office.

“Raewyn?”

“I have no quarrel with you about that, Toni. I welcome my appointment to the team but I’m angry with Brick for not asking me if I wished to be team leader. He rode rough-shod over me.”

“I’ll tell him you want to be leader.”

“No, don’t do that Toni. I’m mad over not being asked, that’s all. I would have turned down the offer anyway as I realize I’m temperamentally unsuited for such a role.”

“In this case the issue dies here now, although you remain free to meet with Brick alone and kick his butt or whatever.”

“Understood, Toni. Thanks for allowing me to express my feelings. Should we go?”

At the meeting, Brick said that Rosa had accepted the loss of Greg philosophically and said the self-managing team concept was good in theory and the trial wouldn’t last a month.”

“I expect you guys to prove her wrong.”

“Take that for granted, Brick. At this point we are nothing, just three people in a vacuum that could change instantly if the group had a name, giving it an identity and its signifying its purpose,” Toni said.

“Yes, the thought had occurred to me as well. Right, name suggestion please.”

There was silence.

“Raewyn, you’re a Wordsmith. A dynamic suggestion please.”

“Sorry, I can’t. My mind in boiling over not being invited to be lead leader.”

Toni said quietly, “Raewyn, I discussed that with you 10 minutes ago and suggested the appointment have been made and so drop your concern. Do that otherwise I’ll replace you with someone who is focused on the future rather than the past.”

“You wouldn’t dare do that.”

There was no response.

“You are displaying cool leadership, Toni. I’ll drop my resentment, I guess as soon as we have something to get our teeth into.”

Toni said she had thought of the Rapid Response Team and then the Special Projects Team and then modified that last thought to Creative’s Special Projects Unit.

There was silence.

Toni slapped her hand against her forward in mock dismay.

The silence ended with Brick instructing Reggie to have a permanent sign made on the door of Creative’s Special Projects Unit as soon as possible.

“I’m please that our new team has a name,” Brick said “And now to the big announcements, to be kept confidential until the Press Release has been sent out.

“The Government and City Council have selected this firm and awarded us with a contract that I counter-signed 30 minutes ago for $700,000 for a promotional campaign over local newspapers, television, and two magazines with high circulation in our region. The agreement was to excluded radio and let the stations chase follow-ups at their discretion.”

“The Government and City Council are in this land development proposal together to build 2100 low-cost homes of two to five bedrooms for low-come families. The authorities expect huge public controversy over this social need. Privately, I predict a real stink will blow up over this and there will be more contracts coming to us to continue to have the facts circulated with emphasis on social need being paramount.”

“It’s probable there will be protest street marches, protests groups outside Parliament, calls for the resignation if Government Ministers involved and even some protesters calling for an early General Election in the hope that could lead to the multi-million-dollar project being abandoned.”

“Now, not a word to anyone -- absolutely no one -- on what about I am to reveal,” said Brick.

“The chosen location is council-owned land, Churchill Park, a 740-acre virtual wilderness area of flat scrub and part wetlands of tracks used by cyclists, walkers, nature lovers, 4WD fun-seeking motorists and occasional illegal campers. And yes, huge objections will come particularly the residents of two of our city’s best residential suburbs and Churchill Park lies immediately in front of those elite areas on higher-lying ground.”

“The parkland will need extensive draining into two or three engineered tidal canals and many of the houses will be built on piles where considerable areas will have to be reclaimed by trucked-in filling that will require compact by noisy machinery.”

“Well, that’s it. The job will be all yours, so start researching from today. You will draw on various people and other resources from all of our departments as required.

Raewyn snorted, “Christ, objectors will be branding it Slumville before work on the first houses begins.”

“That’s very likely, and it will require our best efforts to negate such slurs,” Toni said. “I guess the proposed name of the suburb is Churchill Park?”

“Correct,” Brick said. “The naming of the so-called wasteland was given its name optimistically in the 1950’s by the council to commemorate the name of the famous British Government leader during World War 2 when a proposal began gaining public favour that the land be reserved for a future development of municipal laying fields for various outdoor sports codes. Later, estimates of costs of draining the land and building a seawall to prevent daily the invasion of daily tidal flows demonstrated development of large-scale sports facilities would be woefully uneconomic.”

“Then development of woefully uneconomic land into a much-needed Huge Housing Estate should become the mission statement for us,” Toni mused.

“You make a good point,” Brick said carefully. “That makes me think someone from the PR department should be seconded to your team specifically for this project.”

That received nods of approval.

“The new guy in PR Mike Harrison from Melbourne could be a good choice,” Greg said. “He’s a senior and I had a couple of pints with him in a small group last Friday and he was belly-aching about his frustration of being here for a month and had yet had assigned anything to really get his teeth into.”

“I’ll leave it to you to find the person needed, Toni. Make your recommended choice to me and I’ll make it happen.”

“Thanks Brick but I need to say this. If the day-to-day work team becomes any larger, I’ll need to be replaced by a unit manager so that I can work creatively without admin distractions.”

“We’ll look at this if that time comes,” Brick said. “The wall placed between your space and the remainder of the unoccupied space was made as a removable divider for that very reason if the self-managed trial fails. I’ve only agreed to a PR addition because this project at present directly focusses on PR. I want the unit to remain small as the self-managed concept aims totally at small work units. Well that’s it unless there are questions. What we have done in this session is to set the ball rolling.”

“And an excellent start that was,” Reggie said. “Toni, I’ve agreed to act on call from you to be a sounding board as first-base for problem solving and for discussion if you think you have entered uncharted waters and possible problems loom.”

“If that means your availability will be limited to be a passive sounding board then I’m all for it as it means our group’s creative freedom will not be compromised.”

“That’s good to hear,” Brick said. “Well that’s it for today.”

At lunch that day at a nearby café, Mike Harrison entered and came over to the table when he spotted Toni’s wave.

Before she’d attempted to greet him in friendly fashion, Mike said, “Christ, you look even younger in flesh. I’d looked up your CV on our agency’s website.”