Bill had worked at Western Lighting Inc. before joining Dualtone. Sonny had worked there for two years before getting laid off and deciding to go back to school. His father had also worked there. His brother had worked there. His uncle had worked there. Even his mother had worked there after his father had died. He knew the main reason Bill had hired him was just this fact he was steeped in that Western way.
It was the way Bill was introducing to this start-up company, and to that end, Bill knew Sonny was trainable. Moreover, Bill recognized a glimmer of aspiration in Sonny as well. That was why it didn’t surprise him at all when Sonny had asked for more responsibility.
“Bill, I feel I’m wasting away here,” Sonny said one November night.
Bill took a minute and then looked up from his paperwork, smiling. “But I thought your main concern was your classes. Isn’t that why you wanted to work nights?” He returned to his paperwork; this week’s schedule was especially difficult, what with shortages, back orders, and capacity issues.
“True,” Sonny replied. “But if I’m going to be here eight hours a day, shouldn’t I try for something better?”
Of course you should, Bill thought. That was exactly the Western way; everyone’s motivated by a desire for something. Whether an assembler, material handler, inspector, shipper, supervisor, or engineer, everyone aspires to be something else. As if everything else is illuminated with something they don’t have! And it was his job to utilize that energy for the company’s benefit and profit.
“Sure, damn straight that’s a good thing.” Bill finally replied. “It can't compare to nothing!"
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