The X- Factor

She smiled on her way to her bedroom.

Shawna was taking up a new position as the Deputy Regional Manager at the Redbrooks retail chain of stores.

With her degree from Yale where she majored in Accounting and Business Management, at twenty-seven years of age, she had proven herself an excellent young upcoming professional in her previous job as the Head of Merchandizing and Purchasing at Feltys.

She was doing well but didn’t envision a future at Feltys. She saw it as a training school to prepare her for her rise in the corporate world.

 A chance conversation with a former colleague let her know Redbrooks Retail chain was recruiting top management staff.

She confirmed this after making a few enquiries and then applied for the position. A few weeks later, she was invited for the interview and shortly after was informed she was hired. She could scarcely believe it herself.

At the interview, she met the CEO of the Redbrooks Retail chain of stores- Luke Williams and his wife Gail who was the Redbrooks Vice president, the Regional Manager- Richard Sewell and the Vice president- finance- Tom Hanes, the CEO’s secretary- Rose Elkins.

Shawna was impressed by the company culture.

Most of the staff were well rounded, seasoned older types who had been with the retail store chain for over a decade. She saw several plaques and awards of excellence in the hallway.

They were quiet, calm, polished and professional in everything.

She felt it was a step upwards from her previous job where the culture was semi- informal and she worked within a team of trusted and able staff.

Shawna lay on the queen sized bed and sighed contentedly, now a Deputy Regional Manager and officially in the senior cadre.  She was privy to major decisions and part of the decision making team.

 It was the first step – to where she dreamed of being all along in her career

She marveled because it seemed too easy. She was a hard worker but thought she would spend a few more years climbing the corporate ladder before being appointed as the Deputy Regional Manager of a retail chain of stores-  Redbrooks.

She handed her resignation at Feltys yesterday and recommended her assistant- Yvonne Banks to take over her job.

Yvonne was very emotional- What would we do without you?

Oh! don’t be silly- you’ll do just fine and you’ve just been recommended to take over my position. Shawna replied

Shawna, you’ll be missed at Feltys- she said at last.

I’ll miss you too –

Later she quietly packed up her stuff – and left the office premises. This time for good.

Luke Williams entered his study at home. He liked to recline in his study alone with his thoughts after dinner and occasionally have a glass of wine.

 It was time to relax and reflect at the end of a long day at work.

Redbrooks was a success story, but its beginnings were not. He built the store as a young man of twenty-five years selling hardware. He would go to the neighboring towns and peddle Hardware tools sets to workers on the construction sites.

 He was gifted with enthusiasm and an uncanny ability to envision the future.

And, by dint of sheer hard work, perseverance and luck, Redbrooks became a trusted name in general hardware and merchandising. He slowly bought out other stores going under and rebranded them and with the Redbrooks image of excellence, they became successes.

He built a chain of stores all over the West coast.

Then Gail began to sell homemade pies and pastries to the construction workers who came looking for picks or axes or shovels at the store. It became an instant success and she added a pastry stall in front of the store while the hardware section was at the back.

They became wealthy and finally respected members of society because he had a motto- “Never sell to another person what you cannot vouch for yourself.”

 He would never compromise on the quality of a product.

There were many times things were tough – and he felt like giving up, during these times, he believed in the fact that he had quality goods and when many customers could not afford to buy, he made financing available to them and introduced the option of down payment and monthly payments till the goods were paid for in full.

Gail was his main support and strength and gave herself wholeheartedly to the vision he had for a chain of stores- She included other items- Perfumes, Clothing, Footwear, Household and Nursery items in the inventory till it became well known as a one stop store for everything you need.

Not that he didn't have competition. He did, but skillfully he outmaneuvered and beat his business rivals. He had a winning strategy- to win the hearts of all customers. To provide service with customer satisfaction at its best.

And now, Sandy was diagnosed with cancer and had to leave his post as Deputy Regional Manager. Sandy Harrison had been the Deputy Regional Manager of Redbrooks for the last ten years,

He was a vital part of the success story. His market research on the West Coast and instincts had contributed immensely to the inventory purchased making Redbrooks successful. This gained the attention and admiration of Luke for Sandy.

Richard Sewell brought the matter to the attention of Luke Williams. Sandy was granted a leave of absence by the Redbrooks management to face the fight of his life. He was sent to a Reputable oncologist at the one of the Top Cancer Specialist Care Centers at the company’s expense.

Luke usually sat in on the interviews for top management staff and listened to the question and answer sessions. He was usually silent but alert. He trusted his intuition more than anything written on a resume, which usually amused him as he knew the prospective candidates were simply putting their best foot forward.

This time- His intuition said yes to the young lady- Shawna Cobbs.

There was something about her he wanted infused into the business. She had an X- factor he was looking for. He couldn’t define it yet, as he pored over her resume and saw her age- she was only twenty-seven years old, but had he not begun at twenty-five and built the idea of peddling hardware into a successful retail chain?

One thing he knew- His instincts never failed him.

Shawna Cobbs expertly applied her makeup and combed her wavy hair. She looked at her own image in the mirror and at last felt satisfied. She was going to start working at Redbrooks today.

Driving the few miles downtown to the headquarters, she parked her car at the lot. Taking a look at the big building, she exited her car and said a prayer- Lord, be with me today!

She walked towards the reception where she was met by the Receptionist- Good morning, you must be Miss Cobbs, Richard Sewell is expecting you.

She pressed the intercom and spoke- Miss Cobbs is here, Sir

Oh! Send her up right away!

Please take the elevator to the third floor- Mr. Sewell’s secretary will meet you there.

Thank you.

 She moved towards the elevator and entered and exited on the third floor.

“Welcome to Redbrooks, Miss Cobb “- She turned with surprise to see a young dark- haired secretary waiting for her at the elevator exit.

I am Rachel Taylor- Richard Sewell’s Secretary. He’s expecting you.

They both moved in the direction of the Regional Manager’s office and Rachel quietly opened the door.

Miss Cobbs is here !

Oh! Good morning, I’m Richard Sewell as you already know, how do you prefer me to address you?

I ‘m Shawna Cobbs, Call me Shawna please.

Very well. Shawna, Welcome to Redbrooks. I’ve been looking forward to working with you.

I’ve been looking forward to working at Redbrooks too. For me- it’s a dream come true.

Rachel, would you show her to her office,

Yes, sir!

They both moved to the door and Rachel emerged and smiled at her- This way, please!

 A bronze sign hung on the door indicating her position- Deputy Regional Manager. The door was at the other end of the narrow corridor. Rachel opened the door and they both walked in.

 Not quite what she expected- It was modest, neat and functional.  It was all she needed.

There was a moderate sized desk with a Computer, Printer, scanner and fax machine, a Xerox copier.

The desk was neat and well laid out with storage racks for papers and other items. There was a digital clock on the wall, an intercom and phone on a smaller table.

 Welcome to Redbrooks !- She had heard that phrase several times today

 Well it was time for business.

 She sat down at the desk.

Richard Sewell sat heavily at his desk- How on earth did this young upstart get into the company?

Well, he admitted, she had a good track record with her resume and references checking out in her favor, but she needed some more experience to handle the responsibility of the position she was given.

Maybe Luke had gone soft in the head- Whatever had happened to him.

Richard did not approve her appointment as Deputy Regional Manager but Luke was the first to speak in her favor. He relied on his gut instincts- Richard knew; and was usually right. So he didn’t say much and kept his thoughts to himself though Luke encouraged them to share their assessment after the interviews.

 Well, she would be tested and till she proved herself, he would be watching closely.

The Vice-president Gail Williams usually supported Luke but Richard sensed she was not fully on- board with the new addition to the Management team.

Gail Williams arrived her office at Redbrooks earlier than usual that morning. She heard the usual morning hum of the employees as they clocked in and assumed their work duties. Slowly, she turned from her swivel chair as she reflected back to the past- the time when she made homemade pies and encouraged Luke with his expansion plans for the first hardware store. Now, they were a growing chain of retail stores expanding all over the West coast.

Today, the new addition to the management team will be resuming, Gail intended to take her under her wing.

Personally, she felt the new girl- Shawna still needed to grow into the position, but she liked what she saw- an earnest, young hardworking woman with a sound judgement. Ah! Well, she could work with that- And after all, it was a welcome change from the stuffy board meetings they usually had.

She was looking forward to exploring the creative genius-if any in the new Deputy Regional Manager.

Sandy Harrison had proved himself an asset during the last ten years especially till the day he could no longer hide the fact that he had Prostate Cancer. She still prayed and hoped he will beat the odds.

Luke Williams came into the premises at 9.00am that morning. He wanted to have an impromptu management meeting and give Miss Shawna Cobbs her first assignment- To come up with a good strategy to expand the Redbrooks retail chain. He had a new frontier in mind this time- The East coast.

He was a driven man who didn’t believe in resting on his oars. He was fifty-four and was still ready to take on new territory.

He wanted to test new waters and felt she was a vital part of the expansion plan.

He hoped her instincts and skills could deliver results and revolutionize the way the Retail chain was run.

Simply put- he wanted to see how the X-factor he had sensed could position Redbrooks on the east coast.

 He liked to see himself as a hard worker, but with hindsight realized he was also a visionary leader.

With the way businesses were run in recent times, he understood that he could no longer run the retail business on antiquated models of the past.

Though a success story, Redbrooks was at the beginning of a curve- He wanted the curve to take Redbrooks to a higher level of growth and success.

His management team was a cohesive group and had achieved greatness far exceeding their expectations in the years they all worked together. He hoped Shawna would adjust and be able to work well within the management team.

Good morning Sir, Rose Elkins greeted as he entered the lobby of the fourth floor where his office was located.

Hello Rose! Hope you are ready for today? I plan to have a meeting with the management within the hour. Kindly let each of them know we’ll meet in the boardroom at 10.00am .

 Yes, Sir, she replied and promptly picked up the phone to communicate

He settled comfortably behind the desk. He had prepared the agenda last night

Richard Sewell, picked up the phone and listened to the message from Rose . Luke had arranged an impromptu meeting for 10.00am at the Conference Room.

He saw an e-mail on the computer screen – with the same notification to which he responded promptly.

Gail Williams had an amused smile as Rose Elkin’s call came through- She knew Luke well enough. He lost no time!

Tom Hanes the VP- finance saw the e- mail notification on the computer screen. He had been away on company business for a fortnight, only returning yesterday from the business trip. He was looking forward to discussing the financial reports with Luke . Then it hit him!

I think she might be the reason for the impromptu meeting called by the CEO.

Well, it was about time to meet the wonder girl!

Shawna Cobbs smiled softly as she dropped the receiver after the call from Rose came through.

I’ll be there- she replied

She was brimming with excitement.

It was time to hit the ground running.

At 9.55 am Shawna stepped into the conference room on the fourth floor adjacent to Luke’s Office.

She saw Gail Williams and Richard Sewell chatting softly and Tom Hanes working on his i-pad. She shook hands with everyone, exchanging pleasantries and making sure she maintained eye contact as she spoke.

Shawna, please make yourself comfortable- Gail said.

Moving to the seat beside Richard Sewell, she sat down.

Shawna surveyed the conference room and inhaled slowly.

I’m the new girl here and the youngest. But I’ll give it all I’ve got as I’m here to stay.

Rose Elkins was seated a few seats apart from the four top brass.

At 10.00am Rose Elkins buzzed Luke – We are all assembled for the meeting,

Luke Williams entered the conference room and surveyed the group seated with a sense of satisfaction.

Yes! it was time.

Time to begin again.

Richard Sewell smiled up at Luke

Let the games begin............