The New Boss

Staring into her webcam, Pam feels disgust rise up in her throat as she introduced her boss the ‘new Sales Manager, Maddy Tigree’ on the sales call to her biggest opportunity and potential client. 

This bitch took her promotion, and now is stepping all over her big moment. Pam has had enough working for people who only care about themselves.  She will never forget this no matter what Maddy does. 

This was the first time Pam had met her, other than a brief introduction to the whole sales team, and seeing her face on the zoom call brought all her anger back.  Pam needs this sale to TNA, Corp.,  it would put her over quota for the year, and into a significant bonus. Which would cover the hole in her bank account from the last few months.  Though right now, Pam would give it all up to watch Maddy fall flat on her pretty little face.

The sales call had started fine.  Pam introduced everyone, then let Maddy provide background on her role and the company’s mission. But Maddy had gone on and on. She had not followed the script Pam had emailed her. Yesterday, Maddy had said she wanted to just listen in, but now she was telling this story about why she had chosen to switch jobs to come work for such a great company.   Pam was pissed, and she did not know how to take back the presentation.  Maddy had been here one week and now she is trying to insert herself into Maddy’s hard-fought sale.  This is a disaster. 

Once Pam learned Maddy was joining her call, she spent the morning flipping back and forth between updating her resume and looking at pictures of the last time she had hope for the future: at her friend Sarah's bachelorette party.  So certain she was getting the Sales Manager promotion, she told her friends she had already got it. What else was she going to do, her college friends were getting married and buying houses, taking steps in their careers, and she is deep in debt.   Except Pam did not get the spot.  And now she has to deal with this pompous, ditzy, ridiculous …

Her thoughts were interrupted by Maddy calling her name. 

“Pam, are you ready to share your screen for the presentation?”

“Yes, thanks for that Maddy. Let me begin with what we put together for you... um.”  Flustered, Pam clicked the icon to present and the option came up to 'share her screen'.  She pressed the button and the screen sharing suddenly changed what was on her monitors. Confused about what the audience was seeing, suddenly this call was not going as smoothly as she hoped.

Pam had pulled up a variety of documents and tabs to have ready for the meeting. Which of her two monitors was presenting- one screen had the sales proposal, the other had pictures from the bachelorette party.  Damn, where did the Powerpoint tab go?   

The pinpricks of sweat begin on her face- everyone was watching her. It is not good to be selling tech software and have tech troubles.  Pam finally sees it and clicks on the icon.  

“-Woot whoo!”   Someone wolf whistles. 

“ Okay, We are here today to review the presenta-”

Pam stopped. She heard the sound of several men chuckling.  

“-You’re looking good Pam ! “ Matt says. 

 Matt, the Operations Director, and her guy- he set this meeting up with the technical team, and the ultimate decision-maker, Clint, the Controller. What is he talking about?

The PowerPoint is up and ready to go, and is being shared. Pam looks over and her other monitor is showing a picture from Sarah’s party.  While she was looking for the presentation, the rest of the audience saw her screen and that picture.  Of all the tabs to be up.  Pam began shrinking under the weight of past taunts.  The feeling of being lesser, being ignored in class while a teacher laughed at boys mocking her braces, or her glasses.  

Pam couldn’t let herself go there, she had worked past this. She remembered her mantra- ‘Keep calm- and crush it!’ 

 She clenched her fists and faked a smile.  She did look damn good in the gold two-piece bikini, preening on the resort dive board. 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself Matt, you need to commit to the sale before you reach for the gold!”

The guys from TNA Corp erupted in laughter, and she was back in control of the call. 

After the meeting, Pam joined the scheduled debrief call. Maddy began without a greeting.

“I don’t know what you were trying to sell with that gimmick, but  -”

“-It was not a gimmick!”  Pam interrupted, “it was just a dumb mistake.  But I took back control of the call.  And they gave a verbal ‘yes’! I feel good about the sale, you were there-  we meet all the deliverables they are asking for.” 

“Pam, yes, you recovered, but you need to step up your game. You looked very unprepared. And I do not want to see any more of you than your head and shoulders, OK?”  Maddy said condescendingly.  “ I heard you were one of our top salespeople, but you need to show me a lot more than what I saw today. 

Pam breathed out and glared at Maddy's perfectly braided hair. “Yes, I understand.” 

***

Pam nervously anticipated what the rest of her sales team would say about this. She just knew Maddy told them.  No one brought it up.  They were probably just being polite.  

 Pam was the top salesperson last year and was encouraged to apply for the Sales Manager position when Jim got fired for having an affair with his admin assistant.   Jim was a jerk, and only cared about his own ambitions, no one was sorry to see him go. She put a lot of effort into her application, her friend in HR said she had the best interview. Until Maddy came in from the top competitor.   Her hire was seen as a big win.  As a Pre-IPO start-up, most of what the executives do seem to be a show for the investors.  And Maddy looked really good on paper.

Later in the week, after the team check-in call, Pam asked her colleague Bill if he had a minute. They both stayed on the zoom call while everyone else clicked off. 

“Did you hear about my call at TNA from Maddy?  “

“No, How did it go?”  Bill asked

“Oh good- but Maddy was on the call and kind of took it over.“ Pam said. “ Has she joined any of your calls? “

“Yes, she has, just one though. I thought she was great, she talked me up to the customer the whole time. I made the sale too!”  Bill beamed. 

“What! She has asked to be in all of mine! It’s like she doesn't trust me.” Pam said

“ Well, you are the superstar, maybe she is trying to learn something! “ Bills said, smiling. 

“Oh F- you!  Pam grins.   “I just wish she was a little more supportive- you know I could be doing her job right now if she wasn't the Queen Bee, poached from the competition.” 

“I heard she is a badass- she supposedly was their top salesperson,” Bill said. And you know how tech sales is for women, it is an Old Boy’s network. And she is black too? Maddy has not been ‘given’ her success.” Bill said

“Well, I still think she is just a stuck-up know-it-all. “ Pam said. 

“Ok-ay!  I‘ll talk to you later.”  Bill said, as he rolls his eyes and clicks to end the video call. 

***

Matt had called and invited Pam for an in-person meeting the next week to follow up.  As both their offices were in the same city, Pam agreed.   Maddy, of course, had to be there. 

Maddy suggested to Pam they meet at a nearby coffee shop so they could coordinate to share notes and then walk in together.  Pam had her coffee at small table reviewing her notes when she heard someone say, “Pam?” 

Pam looked up and almost didn't recognize her. An extremely polished businesswoman stood in front of her, tailored blue pantsuit, matching Manolo Blahnik’s, and holding a leather Fendi purse.    Pam realized the webcam diminished Maddy, in person she was taller, and younger, and more vibrant.   Maybe her first impression of Maddy was off. 

“You are going to crush it today!  You know your business and have what the client wants.  Show me your talking points.” Maddy said with a huge smile on her face.

Pam sat up a little straighter in her chair, her back straightened. She is going to crush it today!  

Maddy and Pam walked into the lobby, and Matt came out to greet them. “Great to finally meet you in person Pam!  Oh, hello, Maddy, I didn't know you would be coming too.”

Matt was chubbier than Pam had pictured him, in a golf shirt like always.  It stretched over his large belly and tucked into faded blue jeans.   His once-white tennis shoes were dusty and marked up. Pam reached her hand out to shake, but when he leaned in to give her a hug,  she was so shocked she went along with it. The stale cigarette smoke repulsed her, however, maybe the hug was a good sign for the meeting. 

It was not. Pam entered the conference room, behind Maddy and her skin tingled from the tense energy of the room.  The Controller, Clint was in the room and smiled when he saw Pam and stood up to shake hands.

“You do look good in gold,” he said.  Pam hand reached up and gently touched her gold necklace, not sure what he meant and just nodded. 

Clint tucked his head in, and hunched his shoulders as gestured to a man who Pam had not met before, sitting at the head of the conference room table. The gravity of the room was focused on this large and red-faced man wearing a Patagonia vest over his open collar dress shirt. Power and authority dripped off him, and he looked at Pam with open contempt.    

"Pam and Maddy, this is our Chief Financial Officer, Bob Johns who has some questions. "

Everyone sat down, and Bob began speaking in a terse voice.

“ I just want to let you know, we have met with multiple providers for this project. Your offer is the highest.” He is waving a document in the air.  Pam recognized the proposal she had sent to Clint and Matt in his hand. 

“We need to see at least a 20% discount, and a shorter term. Sharpen your pencils girls, or send in someone who can.” As if it was a coffee-stained and crumb-laden day-old newspaper, he tossed it across the table at Maddy contemptuously.  “I know your company is looking to IPO soon. Tell your boss to make this happen. I am sure he will.“

Pam looked over at Matt to see if she could get any support. He had verbally agreed to the proposal just a few days ago.  Matt smiled and winked at Pam. 

“Excuse me, but-” Maddy started with anger in her voice, but was stopped when Pam put her hand over Maddy’s.

“We understand you might have received other offers, however in my experience, no one can match the complete wrap-around services and implementation support we can provide for this cost. What specifically are your concerns”   Pam said, desperately trying to save this deal. 

“-In your experience? Do you understand the complexity of this technology? Let me tell you what will be involved in this implementation. First off we are going have to take down the servers for at least 24 hours and…”“  

As Bob continued to explain her field of expertise to her, Pam realized he had not even read the first page of the proposal. He was just here to see if they would give in. Did they think she was a pushover?   This meeting was supposed to be just a formality, and now the whole deal has blown up in her face.  She looks down miserably at where the tossed proposal ended up in the middle of the table. 

Bob’s cell phone rang. He looked at the number. 

“Excuse me,” he said and left the room.  

Matt asked Pam if they could speak privately, and Pam followed Matt down the carpeted hall to his office. 

“Matt, what is going on? Where did the deal we agreed to, go?” Pam asked.  

Matt closed his door and gestured to Pam to sit in one of the chairs facing the desk. A tall, dark wood credenza covered the back wall, filled with pictures of a younger Matt at several golf courses. One picture of some men in black polo shirts and cigars was prominent.   A sad, fake plastic plant was in the corner.  

 Instead of sitting in his office chair, he sits next to Pam in the guest chair.   

“Well Bob is under pressure to cut costs and is working all our contracts over.  But… Hey-  I think I could talk to him. Why don't we pause this and you and I see if we can work this out ourselves? It’s already late in the day- let's meet up over at Joe’s Sports bar. I am sure we can make something happen. “

Matt leans close and puts his hand on Pam's knee and squeezes. “You looked good at the pool!  Come on, we can do each other a favor, and then you can make this sale. I know this is a big one for you”  

Pam feels herself collapse into her body as a bird’s wing folds in on itself. She is staring at the black polo shirt of one of the men in the picture on the golf course. The unwanted touch, the smell of stale cigarettes, and the black polo, all combine in Pam’s head to remind her of that night. Her heart starts racing, the credenza grows larger and larger in Pam’s vision, overwhelming memories of not being in control. Matt’s hand is pressing on her knee. 

“No!”  Pam says, as she stands up. Matt’s smile fades.  ” I- uh, I can't tonite,  uh maybe another time.”  She stammers as she fumbles to get past Matt, and opens the door.

Then she is out and free. 

Pam runs back to Maddy in the conference room and whispers, “hey, I need to see you in the bathroom.” 

Once in the restroom, Pam checks they are alone and says “Matt just hit on me! He said I could do him a favor to save the deal” Pam glances over and sees her reflection in the mirror and does not recognize the scared woman looking back at her. 

Maddy looks at Pam and frowns. “I heard what the Clint said too.” 

Pam's face gets hot with shame.

“We're done here.” Maddy says. 

Maddy pulls open the restroom door, walks out in the main bullpen, her shoulders back. Her energy crackles and sparks while she slowly looks around.  All the staff in their cubicles stop and stare at this apparition of a woman with authority.  Maddy sees Bob in a glassed corner office, meeting with a woman taking notes on a pad perched next to him.  

Maddy walks up to the door, opens it, and walks in without knocking. Pam rushes in behind her.

Maddy has her leather portfolio in her arm like a shield and points her pen at Bob. 

Bob says “ What do you want? Are you here to give us a lower price? ” 

“No, we are leaving. I have never been treated so unprofessionally in my career. You and your staff are despicable and you are lucky we don't file a harassment claim.  Our company doesn't need your business. No, we don't want your business.  Good day.”

Pam‘s jaw drops and she just stares at Maddy.  

Maddy walked past Pam and was through the office bullpen before Pam came to her senses and followed her out.

Maybe this New Boss will work out after all.