Satisfied With Love Ch. 14

Author's Notes: Keep the comments coming. I read each one. I do hope you are enjoying the novel.

MDSW

********

As the questions continue coming from the Packard Records Team, Brad and Kristi remain vigilant with each other and the moderation of the training.

"Brad, would you, Peggy, Stacy and Kristi be willing to step out so we can speak to the rest of your team, please?" Sandi asks.

"Sure," Brad said.

As he starts to get up, Kristi, Peggy and Stacy made the same move. Brad suddenly thought they would be in position the next day to ask individual team members questions without a leader present. He's about ready to cancel their departure from the room when Rick looks at Brad.

"If I may interrupt, I will ask Kristi, Brad, Stacy and Peggy to return to your seats for a moment please. I would like to address all of you before you leave," Rick explains.

They did and he turns to face Sandi, saying, "With all due respect, Sandi, that will not be necessary. We will not do or say anything different in their absence. We have no secrets between us and there is nothing we have to hide from each other, or from you. I don't want them to leave because I want them to hear about the things we normally do not discuss. I'm not afraid to tell them either, but sometimes I'm reserved, like I am now because I'm talking to people I don't really know and your skepticism is seriously overwhelming."

"Our relationship with our leaders is solid. Their relationship with us is solid. We know exactly where they stand and they know exactly where we stand in our relationship. If they want to know something, they ask and the reverse is also true."

"This is by far the best professional and personal relationship I, and any other assistant you see here, has had with any leadership prior to now. I could be wrong, but this is the first time any of us has ever worked for genuine leaders and it will be a very hard sell to convince any of us to give it up. So, in my mind, to ask them to leave is the same as asking all of us to leave. We are the greatest team with the greatest leaders, after all, and we will stay that way, no matter what you do, say or think."

"In a way, I feel..." Rick stops and bows his head, then looks at Sandi again. "I better stop there. My mouth may get me in trouble from here."

"I would like you to finish your statement Rick," Sandi said immediately.

Rick pauses, then asks, "Brad and Kristi, is it okay with you if I continue?"

Brad said, "Absolutely Rick. They want to know how you feel. It's okay with us if you say whatever it may be and we will support you."

Kristi and Brad's sisters nod their head in agreement.

"Besides, we can always throw you in the pool later."

Everyone breaks out laughing. Once again, Larry is shaking his head. When they get a handle on their laughter, it was back to Rick, now feeling more at ease with what he wants to tell them.

Instead, surprising everyone, Anita spoke up saying, "Maybe you would like hear what he was going to say from someone else on the team Sandi."

Brad broke in, saying, "Thank you for the offer Anita, but Rick began the answer and he should finish please."

"Okay," Anita said.

"Thanks Anita," he said and gives her a hi-five.

Rick begins again, saying, "Ok Brad... Sandi, with all due respect, I personally feel insulted that you would ask our leaders to leave this meeting. I understand your skepticism, but we are not hiding anything from you and we are not trying to cover anything up, because there is nothing to cover up. What you see and hear is the way it is, believe it or not."

"This business is important to all of us. It's our future. It is our lives. We have nothing to gain by deceiving you. Faking anything is not fruitful for you or us. Trying to drive a wedge between us will not happen no matter how hard you try because we will not break. We trust our leaders so deep you will never reach the limits this team has for each other. Our leaders are integrated into us and we are integrated into them. We are a strong team. We are family, plain and simple. I can't walk away from that so there is nothing more to tell you. Therefore, asking them to leave is fruitless. If you insist they leave, I will leave with them."

"You really trust them that much?" Sandi asks in disbelief.

"It's more to do with leadership and relationships, Sandi, and because of that, I really do trust them that much. You should ask the others."

"Anita, is that what you were going to say?"

"He took the words right out of my mouth Sandi," Anita replies.

Jeni volunteers, "I will also leave if you insist our leaders leave."

Stacy, Peggy, Brad and Kristi are fighting back the tears. They are genuinely touched by the team.

"Oh my god! That is so amazing of you to say that! I am literally stunned you feel that way. What an impressive team... and family," Sandi declares, shaking her head.

Sandi is having difficulty believing what she just heard from Rick and Anita.

"Do all of you feel that way?"

"Yes Sandi, we all feel that way," Jeni said as the entire team nods in agreement. "The relationship we have with the owners is solid and it goes both ways."

Jeni, noticing tears in the leaders eyes, gets up and hugs each one from behind and gives each one a peck on the cheek, which Sandi notices immediately. Anita and Rick does the same, then they return to their seats.

"Jeni, you kiss your leaders as well?" Sandi asks.

"Of course," Jeni replies. "When we became a family, we rapidly became an affectionate group, taking after Brad and Kristi. That forced us to make some rules in our relationship. We are allowed to give each other little pecks, as we call them, as long as we stay on the top of the head, on the cheeks or forehead, but no contact with the lips, ears or neck. Kissing those places we all agree, is too personal for our team relationship. It is one of the boundaries we established and we all agreed to it."

Sandi is not believing her ears, or her eyes. She is thinking this is not a normal professional atmosphere. This is more like... like a family atmosphere, yet in a successful and professional environment. It suddenly hit her that what Brad and his team have been saying is the truth. It all came together for her.

"Brad, you win! My attitude about relationships has officially changed and you are right. I want a team just like yours," Sandi said, convincingly.

"I knew you would, Sandi. Congratulations!" Brad said, giving her a hi-five."

Sandi looks at Jeni saying, "You won the bet, Jeni, and I need a hug."

They met, smiling, and give each other a serious, tight hug.

"Tell me how you feel, Sandi?" Jeni asks.

"I feel great Jeni," she replies, "and yes, you did tell me so. Everything you predicted, I'm now feeling."

Jeni smiles and returns to her seat. She is proud of her performance and her confidence. Brad and Kristi give Jeni several hi-fives and Brad gets up and gives her a hug, which makes her feel higher than a kite. Then Sandi turns to Brad and Kristi.

"Brad and Kristi, you have challenged the core of my professional being, something I never thought would ever happen to me. It has changed me and it is all your fault. The penalty for doing that is... you have to give me a hug too, please."

Brad and Kristi were worried until the end of her statement, but smile and give her a hug as she sheds a few tears of happiness.

As Sandi returns to her seat, she is given a hi-five by Helen and Larry and she said, "Larry, correct me if I'm wrong, but we don't have any employees that feel as this team does, do we?"

"To the best of my knowledge, no. Nowhere near the level this team does, Sandi. Helen, would you agree?"

"Yes, Larry, I totally agree. Our work is cut out for us, and we know it will not be easy, so let's just go do it and be happy with our accomplishments."

They pass out hi-fives between them.

"Roger that Helen... Peggy, do you also agree with Craig's assessment of the Jeni contract signing?" Larry asks.

"I need Jeni's permission to speak of this as well."

"It's okay Peggy. Thank you for asking. I didn't realize this would be such an issue."

"I do agree with it, Larry. It was planned to perfection and acted perfectly. I was impressed that Jeni handled the pressure that Brad laid on her, and it was serious pressure. They used the pressure to convince her to rip up the first contract. Her dream job was on the line and she made it perfectly clear she would be devastated with no future if she were fired from this job. Even though it affected Kristi and Brad, they only showed it once, but Jeni did not see it. The role they played was perfect."

Then Peggy said, facing Jeni, "Jeni, this is the part of that interview you have not been told. After you ripped up the first contract, you sat there crying and devastated with your head on the table. Brad bowed his head with remorse written all over his face. I could see and feel the hurt he was feeling for putting you through it. He reached for Kristi's hand for support and she had a similar expression, but they knew what the outcome was going to be. It affected them as well as you. It affected the gallery too. Then he asked you to stand up so he could hug you, support you and give you the explanation he wanted you to hear so bad."

"Later on, as you were reading the second contract, Brad stood and moved his chair out from behind him because he knew your next move was to hug him. He knew you were going to crash into him hard in the process so he got prepared. And you did! Just like you did in Ohio after he proposed to Kristi. It was heart felt, as Craig put it. That was the beginning of your return to a happy Jeni. That is how detailed their plan was to help you. They planned and executed it so well it did not appear to be planned and staged at all."

Jeni laid her head on the table with tears in her eyes.

"Your contract signing affected everyone in the room. It touched all of us in so many special ways. I was happy for you, as well as for Brad and Kristi," Peggy said.

"That was the moment I began looking at Brad as the leader of this company. Not only is he good at it, he excels at it. He is the definition of a natural born leader. He has all the support any leader will ever need - his team, and I am proud to be a member of that team. Brad and Kristi make a great team by themselves so, naturally, I want to keep them here. I felt this was necessary to explain because all of us need to know how considerate and generous they are."

Brad and Kristi's eyes are wet. They did not realize Peggy has made such a detailed observation.

Jeni got up and went to Brad, who stands with tears in his eyes, and gave him a hug. A big hug. A tight hug. A long hug. She did not ask to disrupt the meeting this time, she just did it. Then she did the same to Kristi, with tears in her eyes, after she stands up. She said thank you to both of them. Anita joins in, followed by Rick, who also gives Brad a hug. They also include Jeni in the hugs. She is feeling it also. Then Craig, Stacy and Peggy follow suit. It was a special team bonding moment.

"That is amazing," Sandi said, not believing her eyes. "Larry, do you believe what you are seeing?"

"I believe it Sandi. I saw it in my office, without the tears," Larry said. "Helen and I both had the same reaction you have. This is an incredible family."

Sandi said, "This is truly unbelievable."

Larry said, "You may be right Sandi, but any way you look at it, it is one hell of a team... I feel like a Packard Records hug. What do you say team?"

With that said, Larry, Sandi and Helen get up and the two girls join in the hug with their boss. It is the first time Larry has hugged both team members. They seem to appreciate his efforts to get more personal with his team.

They all return to their seats a short time later, relishing the bonding moment with all leaders.

"Excellent observation, Peggy. It has touched everyone, even me. Thank you," Sandi said.

They fell silent for a while as they all regain their composure.

"Alright you guys. You have brought us to tears today and I will not tolerate it any more, so stop it!" Brad said as he forces a smile on his face.

They laugh and spent some time getting control of themselves.

Larry asks, "Kristi, what would you have done if Jeni refused to rip up the first contract?"

"Brad and I had pre-arranged that we would fake a harsh fight between the two of us over which one of us would look over her contract. We planned to get real mad at each other to sell it, with some serious yelling and insults included. From there, the plan was to rip the contract in half by accident as we pulled it back and forth between us. Then we were going to apologize to Jeni profusely for making such a stupid mistake and place the new one in front of her to read and approve. It was clever, but I'm not sure Jeni would buy into it. She is no dummy by any means."

"That was a good plan Kristi. It's also good thing you never had to use it. This is an awesome team... Rick, what affection do you get from Brad?" Larry asks.

"The same everyone else gets. I don't get as many hugs as Jeni or Kristi, for example, because I don't work directly for Brad, or Kristi for that matter. However, it was a bit uncomfortable the first time Brad gave me a hug, but I've grown into it. Now it's the norm and I'm okay with it."

"It is a good thing to get recognition from the owners of a large corporation such as this. I get lots of hi-fives and hugs from Peggy and Stacy as well. So, my bottom line is, I'm as good as Jeni. Anita helps out in that department as well," Rick said looking at Anita and smiling.

"I wasn't expecting that answer, but I believe you," Larry said.

"Now you know one reason why Stacy and Peggy are here. Our Father was no dummy," Brad said with a smile on his face.

Again, the group breaks out laughing, including Stacy and Peggy, as their faces turn red with embarrassment. Brad gives them both a hi-five, then an individual hug.

"Jeni, is there anything you want to do with the owners that you have not already done?" Sandi asks.

"That is a loaded question Sandi. Can you be more specific please?"

"I would rather not. I would rather you tell me," she replies.

"Then I must decline to answer. I'm sorry Sandi. There are too many things that question can insinuate and I will not go there. Sorry."

"That's okay Jeni, I'm glad you chose not to answer it. It tells me a lot about you and your attitude," Sandi said. "It was actually the answer I was hoping for from you, but did not expect."

"Helen, are you proud to work for Larry and Packard Records?" Anita asks.

"I am, but I'm not at the same level your team is Anita, but things are progressing in the right direction, so I think it is a bit early for me to respond to that. I do like Larry as a boss, because he is very good at what he does, and he is very efficient at it. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of me."

"Helen, you just reminded me of me!" he said as he begins laughing, which gets the others laughing.

Getting control of her laughter, Helen continues, "As a result of this training, I'm expecting things to change, and I'm looking forward to it. I will support Larry any way I can, if he wants me to help. This training is excellent. As I get into it, I would like to be a trainer and moderator of the training of others, as Kristi is."

"Believe me, Helen, I want you to participate and help anywhere you like. We will be talking about it soon," Larry said.

"Thanks Larry. As far as Packard Records goes, I always felt okay about it until Chuckie got his dream ripped out from under him. Then he changed overnight and was mad at everybody all the time. It was not a good time to be working at Packard Records. But now, he is gone. Company employees feel relieved and they blame Brad for that. That's a good thing Brad," she said, looking at him. "You can tell that from the company meeting. They were really glad you fired him," Helen reveals.

Brad nods, smiling and said, "Larry was about to fire him anyway so his time there was already limited."

"Stacy, would you or could you do what Brad has done with this team?" Larry asks.

"Now that I've seen it done, I feel like I could do it, Larry. But, to plan it from scratch as Brad did, I don't know the answer to that question. I've never been in a position where I had to do something so personal."

"Peggy, same question."

"I have to agree with Stacy on that. I would give the same answer, Larry."

"Kristi, what advice would you give me as the secretary for the CEO of Packard Records?" Helen asks.

"Good question, Helen. You've learned some good information here today. My advice would be to start practicing what you have learned. The sooner you do that, the faster things change. Work with Larry, get your relationship in order and support his efforts."

"You two decide what you want your relationship to be. Nobody else has any right to make your rules or set your boundaries. Larry should do the same thing with Sandi and Helen should do the same thing with Sandi. Just do it. Sandi, you should do the same with your secretary. Above all, work as if you are a team and build it as you get to know them. Discuss anything and everything with each other. If a problem arises, resolve it before it becomes a headache," Kristi said.

"Also, concentrate on the goal, the end result, which is making your employees happy, or a family, or whatever your goal is. When your employees are happy, you will also be happy. So many other things will happen as a result and the rewards will come pouring in."

"Brad, is there anything else you want to accomplish as the leader of the Packard Empire?" Larry asks.

"That has little to do with relationship training Larry, but I'm going to answer it anyway... Yes, there is, and I hinted at one of them at your company during the employee meeting. I have a desire to elevate the people in the company that actually get the meat of the work done, the employees. They deserve more credit than they get and I would like to change that somehow, but have not given any thought to it yet. That day will come, though. I just don't know when at this point, nor do I have a clue what to do or how to do it, yet."

"I like that idea as well, Brad. When that day comes, I would like to work with you to make it happen. My bottom line - I don't have a job if the employees are not there doing what they do so well," Larry offers.

Brad said, "Good food for thought, Larry. I will give you a call when that time comes."

"Larry, I have been wondering this since we began the training. What was it we did or said that made you so skeptical or think we are hiding something?" Brad asks.

Larry pauses, then speaks, saying, "I won't speak for Helen, but for me, it was the second hug you gave your team in my office, Brad. It looked to me like there was more to it than what appeared because it was so tight. I thought it was more personal than anything else."

"Every hug is personal, Larry. The tighter the hug, the more personal it is, and the happier people are. I don't believe you can stop a hug from being personal."

"Even still, so what if it was personal. So what if there is hanky panky going on. So what if we have orgies here every day at 2 in the afternoon. So what if we have fireworks on the Island every weekend. So what if we have speedboat races every other day. So what if we do whatever we want to do in our relationship. Why is that any business of yours?"

Larry lowers his head, saying, "Good question Brad, and I'm sorry we read you guys the riot act. I feel like such an idiot. I just needed to know the real reason behind the hugs for some reason. Helen, do you have any light to shed on this?" Larry asks.

"I think you covered it Larry. I also wish to apologize for reading you guys the riot act as well. To be honest, I don't know why I had to know either. I guess I'm just a natural born nosey body person," Helen admits.