The Executive at the End of the Table

The meeting was delayed. He finally arrived and sat at the end of the table. People waited for him to speak. He gave a superficial reaction to what had been done since the last meeting and, at one point, reversed his earlier position. No one pointed that out and certainly no one was going to ask for an explanation of the switch. People shot opinions back and forth but it was accepted that only one opinion mattered even if that opinion was the least-informed in the room. A more perceptive person would have pressed for candor but that was not his style. He rather liked the deference and the image it reflected of his leadership. The decision was ultimately announced and people filed out.

He thought the meeting went well.