There is no 'Team' in "I"

The Proposal

"Assemble the team." Jerry dropped the thick bid spec on Linda's desk. "We have to modify our proposal to Reardon International to meet the new requirements in sections six and eight."

Linda shook her head. 'Here we go again', she thought. Aloud, she said, "And it needs to be done by...?"

"Tomorrow morning," Jerry said as he went into his office and closed the door.

Twenty minutes later his door was still closed. Linda stuck her head in to tell him the team was all there.

"Put them in the conference room," he told her. "And get them started. You know what to do. I have a couple of things that I need to do before I join you."

Three hours later he stuck his head in the conference room. "How is everybody doing? I have lunch with the client that I couldn't cancel but you all should keep going. Order lunch in." He looked at Linda. "Put it on my account."

No one was surprised when Jerry didn't come back that afternoon. He did call in. It was four-fifteen when Linda's cell phone rang.

"Everything ok? How ya doing?"

Linda told him they were almost done with section six but that they saw a problem with eight and needed his input.

"Eight is international law, right? Hold on, Dan is right here." Linda could hear glasses clinking and muffled conversations. Jerry came back to her. "Dan says call down to his assistant, Marcia. If you call right now you can catch her before she goes home. She can help with the language in section eight. Remember, it has to be done by nine tomorrow morning. I'm counting on you."

Linda started to tell him the problems with eight were more than just wording but he was already gone.

--

The team wearily gathered up their clutter as the morning sun slanted through the conference room windows. A dozen freshly printed and collated proposals sat at the end of the table, waiting for signatures from Dan in legal, Jerry, and the VP, Walter Moscott.

Moscott was the first one in. As he signed off on the copies he said to Linda, "I guess Jerry has gone home to shower and change?" Not trusting herself to answer, Linda just smiled and nodded.

--

Judging from the smiles on everyone's faces as they came out of the meeting, the client was happy with the revised proposal. Jerry stopped at Linda's desk. "There is going to be a reception downstairs tonight after the LOI is signed. You are all invited. Let the team know, will ya?"

--

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention?" The speaker was Roger Banning, the CEO. "I want to commend Walter Moscott and his team for their tremendous accomplishment today." He went on in that vein for a few minutes and then Moscott took the dais.

After praising the client for their foresight, Moscott called up Jerry and hailed him as the guiding light and most promising new blood in the company. Then it was Jerry's turn. His team stilled their chatter and turned their faces towards the dais expectantly. "Here it comes," Linda muttered under her breath.

"... and I could not have done it without expert help from Dan Smithson in legal." Jerry droned on but his team tuned him out and slumped back in their chairs. Linda looked at their disappointed faces. 'They are young,' she thought. 'They will learn.' She shared a knowing look with Marcia.

Now that Jerry and Dan had publicly taken ownership of the proposal, she and Marcia were safe. 'The client's legal team might find the poison pill in section eight,' she thought. 'but if not, it is going to be an interesting year.' She felt a little sorry for Mr. Moscott. But if he could not see through Jerry's bullshit, maybe he deserved what was coming next.