Last weekend, I had the opportunity to play in a golf tournament sponsored by some big corporate from the city.
Initially, I was hesitant to play since my handicap is not that impressive anyway—I have not been practising enough.
My CEO sent me an e-mail asking me to represent him at the golf tournament.
He told me, “ I had been invited to join my fellow CEOs, but I have to travel for my daughter’s graduation in the UK.”
I have figured that the boss always likes to be flattered so I said, “but Boss, you are too young to have children in university!”
I wanted to tell him that I have noticed how seriously he dyes his hair, but I grab the chance to suck up to him.
He then spends half an hour telling me about where his children go to school and where they study.
After his lecture he asked me, “Josphat, why aren’t you married?”
I was taken aback so I said, “ I have not found the right woman.” He burst out laughing and said, “ That is why you need to be attending these golf functions. There are many single professionals who are looking to get married.”
I did not know what to say because I dared not tell him that I am terrified of those professionals who seem to make a lot of money and who hate men from the village like me.
The guy appeared to be in a mood to talk as he went on and on about how he met his wife and started a family.
Then finally, he asked me,” How is biashara doing?”
I had to quickly switch gears from talking personal to talking professional.
So I went into some chat about how we ‘fell short of deliverables in the first quarter but are looking to get better in the second quarter.”
I told him about how I “have been encouraging the team by having weekly meetings both formally and informally and we believe that things will turn around next year.”
He was just mumbling on the phone, “mmh.. mmh” and so I could not tell whether my story was getting through to him.
I droned on and on even when I could tell that his mind had gone to other things.
He coughed and got back into the conversation and said, “Please put these thoughts in a PowerPoint presentation that summarises performance and what you have just told me.”
He went on to say that, “the Board has been putting me under pressure regarding performance. They are threatening to sack people if things do not turn around.”
I had no choice but to say, “I will work on this right away and have it to you by Monday morning.”
He then went back to his cheery self and said, “ Well cheers then! Enjoy the golf and tell me which CEOs brings a young girl to the coast. And get a wife!”
I pretended to laugh since my mind was already on overdrive on next steps of action.
To begin with, I have never been quite the guru of PowerPoint—I studied computers in the villager where the tutor still believed in MS-DOS.
Most of my current knowledge has been picked up on the job— but I have never been able to do all those fancy things that come with PowerPoint.
I realise that my head is in a spin-so I log off the computer, get into the golf course for some practice.
Perhaps I can use the golf tournament to look for a job too.
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