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Darkness and Chaos
149
and go the extra mile for the good of the company!” he said, beaming.
“But, I’m not tough on everyone. Some people don’t respond to
tough love, you know—they need to be coddled. I do that too,” he
said, nodding. “A leader needs flexibility—I was nice to the big guys
and, when it suited my agenda, hard on the little people. Little people
like strong leaders; it makes them feel comfortable.”
Ginny glanced at the clock on the wall over Al’s head. Seeing
this, Al continued, speaking very quickly, “I have the style, the
smarts, and the looks to carry off any VP job. I worked hard all my
career and wasn’t afraid to confront the competition. If you want to
be successful, you have to be ambitious,” Al said, leaning forward
and gesturing, “and stab the competition in the back, right? I showed
them I could run with the wolves and not falter if I met someone
who stood in my way. I made hard decisions others didn’t like, and
then wasn’t afraid to use their disagreements to uncover their disloyalty
to the company.” Al leaned back in his chair, paused, and said, “I
always supported the company; I talked up company goals, objectives,
mission, and vision and whatever the hell else they thought was
important. I was always a team player, as well. I kept the important
ones in the loop and proved my loyalty repeatedly. It paid off because
I got the promotions, the big salary, the nice offices, cars, and
all that stuff. It’s hard for me to admit”—Al paused, dramatically—
“but they were fooling me all along and I never knew it. I never realized
they were really a bunch of crooks and they were using me—I was
the fall guy.”
Ginny interrupted Al and began to close the meeting. “Here is
your copy of the consent form and a copy of the judgment. You’re
expected to pay restitution in regular installments. We’ll work out the
specific schedule during our next meeting. You’ll need to look for a
job and bring me a list of companies you’ve applied to, with phone
numbers I can call to verify. We’ll meet every week, here in my office,
until you are settled, and then biweekly. I’ve signed you up for
counseling and they will meet with you once we’re through here.
You’ll meet with them weekly in a group setting, and take some