Page 97 - Never Fly Solo

70 | NEVER FLY SOLO
reach new heights is with the help of others, through authen-
tic partnerships. Sometimes these partners show up where you
least expect them.
Imagine arriving at the office with mud on your shoes and
sopping wet clothes. Your car blew a tire on the way in, and
when you got out to take a look, a pickup truck hit the puddle
next to you. After enduring jokes from the receptionist and
anyone else who sees you in your “fine” business attire, you
get to your office and find that the printed and collated copies
of your big presentation for the upcoming trade show were
delivered on schedule—bound upside down and in the wrong
order. Throw in your two junior staff members complaining
about the raises they didn’t get, and you can start to feel the
steam billowing from your ears. Not exactly missiles, but
enough to make you feel as if you were hurtling to Earth.
Enter your wingman, Marge, an inside sales manager who
is your partner on several accounts. She closes your office
door, lets you rant a little while, and then sets you at ease and
gets you back on the right flight path. You’ve got battle dam-
age and are calling out Mayday, and she’s in the perfect posi-
tion to help you stay airborne and not let you crash.
Someone in the print shop owes her a favor—she’ll be
able to get your copies fixed in time. And the two whining
staff members? Marge points out that one got a raise just two
months ago, and the other is up for a performance review in
a week. You’ll be able to give him a pay bump then if it’s
merited. Problems solved.
As your blood pressure inches back down, Marge sug-
gests that you pull a change of clothes from your gym bag and
give your suit to the cleaners in the lobby of the building,
which offers one-hour service. “Now, Phil, let’s talk about the
Acme account,” says Marge, pulling out a pad and pen. “We