A satirical flight simulation in three decisions.
The invitation sounded promising: “Fireside Chat with our Division Chairman — open, informal, inspiring.”
Venue: Staff Canteen. 10:00 AM. Rows of chairs in precise alignment. A single microphone. Still water. Lighting: more dental surgery than hearth fire.
Do not fly against the weather — use it to expose the boundaries of the system.
Colleagues were looking forward to an informal chat. Or at least to a fireplace. Neither materialised.
Then he entered the room. The Chairman — Silicon Valley standard-issue: tailored gilet, conspicuously colourful socks, pristine white trainers. A smile poised between vision and venture capital. He opened with a joke that only he understood.
The response followed familiar patterns: “Interesting format.” A subtle cough. Rustling of notepad pages. The dialogue commenced. Unilaterally.
At the end, he snapped his laptop shut: “Splendid, so we’ve cleared everything up then.” The silence was interpreted as consensus. The hearth remained cold.