Yippee Skippee!

I’m feeling so good right now. Today was a GREAT day. Ya’ll know what? I knew that I was a valuable employee. I knew that I worked hard but now I know that the sky is the limit for me.

Today I got to work and was surprised to see an email from the woman I interviewed with last week. You know, the CEO of the marketing/PR firm.

This is what she wrote: (Sidenote: She called me by the wrong name a few times.)

Te-Erica,

Who is Jennifer Russou anyway? I have not been able to live it down–Amy and Maddie now call me Ruby in exchange for my giving everyone else a name of my own. Anyway, thanks for taking it in such good grace.

Thank you for the very nice email note about our meeting. I concur. I, too, felt the synergy and would hire you today, if we had the budget. Hopefully, that won’t be for too long.

About the motivational speaking, we have thought about developing that aspect of the business, but I guess need someone like you to build it. What I have found is that local organizations and projects always want me to present, but without a fee. I have done quite a bit of that and feel that it is time to develop that as part an economic aspect of (her firm’s name); this would mean mainly outside of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. So, we would need to make the necessary registrations with speakers bureaus–in fact, Maddie has already decided that I am not going to be running around speaking without an honorarium anymore. So I think we are all on the same wave. It would be so wonderful to have someone developing that for me and for the company. I am also planning to settle down and pull together my first book. I have been toying with the idea for quite a while, now I am actually taking it more seriously. And, as you know, every motivational speaker needs a tangible product.

Let’s stay in touch. If you hear of or see anything that might be worth our pursuit, please let us know. In the meantime, if things turn around here, I have you at the top of my list. I hope your kids are doing well. Take good care.

Blessings.

M.G.

Isn’t that great?!

And then things got realy hectic around my office. I have been put into a supervisory role that is more like a servant’s role. But one thing I have learned is the best leaders are the best servants.

So, when I had all of my reports typed and all of my assignments completed, my publisher’s administrative assistant comes and says my publisher wants to see me.

We meet for a little over an hour, combing through my many projects and I dazzled her with my creativity and ideas for restructuring the office protocol.

As the last thing on my (typed) agenda I had outlined all of my duties because I planned to ask for a raise in salary.

Here is my report:

Act as the liason between editorial staff and the administration.

Supervise the editorial department staff to ensure a higher quality in output.

Formulate the structure of the sales team.

Create all of the sales team’s presentation materials.

Act as a clerk for other sales team members which includes typing their letters and preparing them to be mailed out. Spearhead policy projects that require a great deal of analytical thinking, creativity and knowledge of desktop publishing.

Write and market a weekly newspaper column to attract more readers to the paper.

Assess the current business structure and procedures and implement ways to improve them.

Proof the entire newspaper for errors in grammar, spelling and content.

Before I could even begin my “Tee-is-the-bomb-and-has-exceeded your-expectations” speech, she said, “Shut up. How much do you want?”

I named my price and she said okay.

I didn’t ask for much. I have a strategic plan for my income right now, but I know she would have given me anything that I asked for. After we agreed on my new salary she told me, “You know, I have to tell you that I am VERY pleased with your work here. You bring a new perspective that I needed around here. I am so glad that you are here.”

I smiled, wrapped up the conversation and went to lunch.

It’s great to know that someone values you so much and your knowledge is needed and appreciated. I can see myself being a valuable asset to any company I choose.

I’m comfortable where I am right now. I have a good work to do at The Times. Once I am done, I will move on, but now I am there to serve.