The Ascendant

Chapter Twenty-Seven

‘I’m not sure I understand what you mean,’ I replied.

‘Then perhaps I should try to explain myself, Ben. During your interview you gave specific examples of your work as a market analyst. You said that fifty percent of your time was spent collating data, producing reports for clients, and then implementing changes to your processes based on your findings in those reports. Am I correct so far?’

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

‘Well, I may be judging you a little too quickly here Ben, but then this is London and things move much quicker here than they do in Wales.’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘You see Ben, I’ve been watching you this last week and again today, and you don’t seem to have got out of first gear yet. You haven’t really grasped the concept of what it is that we do here. As I said to you on your first day I need someone who will learn quickly and act quickly.’

Hobbs continued to lay the groundwork for my dismissal, and this time, unlike when Jane gave me her speech about teamwork and alarm clocks, I agonised over every word.

‘Your progress has disappointed me Ben. This is a fast moving department: it’s sink or swim here, you don’t have time to paddle your way in until you’ve reached a comfortable depth. We are all under pressure here but what matters is how we respond to that pressure. This is why I asked you about your last employer Ben: you must have noticed some fundamental differences in the way in which we operate.’

‘Yes, of course,’ I replied. Was this another trap? ‘Like the workloads are far greater and the deadlines come thicker and faster.’ Was this the right answer? Was there any right answer or was it too late to save myself? 

‘Well, if you think your deadlines have been coming thick and fast…’

‘No, I meant…’

‘Don’t interrupt me, Ben. If you think your deadlines have been coming thick and fast then you had better get out now and save us all a hell of a lot of aggravation. Look at Rob out there. He works around the clock to meet his deadlines, but he does meet them. If you are going to gain an understanding of what we require you are going to have to start earlier, work later and start impressing me pretty damned quick.’

‘I’ll make sure I do that, definitely.’

‘This report was just a little test Ben, and I am afraid I have to say that what you have given me is the biggest load of bollocks I have seen for some time. I do not expect you to know everything but as I have already said, I do expect you to listen and learn. For your information, Bob Hustings and Bernard Corcoron are two of our best contractors, possibly the best along with Bestial-Winters. I was hoping you might have picked up as much from your meetings with them last week, although I suppose you did put Bestial-Winters at the top of your table, so perhaps you were paying attention some of the time at least.’

Hobbs’ fury was exerted with such dignity and control that he became even more terrifying than if he had just lost his temper and threw something at me. I had underestimated him as much as I had overestimated my ability to do the job.

‘I have spoken to Mike this morning, and he has agreed to allow you to shadow him for the remainder of the week. Mike is very sharp and has an acute understanding of how this industry works. He is very clear about my requirements, and most importantly he knows exactly what our clients require. I want you to follow his every footstep, action, word, deed and twitch. You are already behind schedule Ben, and I cannot afford to allow you to fall any further behind. Do you understand what I am saying to you Ben?’

‘Yes, I understand fully Paul. I’ll study Mike completely and I’ll get back on track, I promise you.’

‘I dearly hope so Ben. You’d better grab a coffee or something, Mike is due back in the office at two o’clock and he’ll take over from there.’

‘No, problem. I won’t let you down.’

‘Close the door on your way out Ben.’