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163 lines
5.7 KiB
Text
163 lines
5.7 KiB
Text
.LP
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.ce
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.ps 16
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.CW
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I'LL MANAGE
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.R
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.ps 8
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.CW
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tags: 1976, maude_mold, plinth_mold
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.R
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.PP
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.ps 10
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So he was unhappy, again. But when he halted to appraise the
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situation rationally, he found that nothing had really changed. Why,
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then, this morose disposition?
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Each season, Plinth Mold selected the action figures that would
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comprise the next year's line. He did this alone\(emthat is, his
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decision was final\(embecause Plinth Mold knew that to consult a
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committee would signal weakness to the trade press. Such fanfare had
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been made of his spectacular rise, his subsequent reign and famously
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charismatic management style, that he was wary of reversing the
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polarity of this momentum, reluctant to sour himself in the public eye
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by demonstrating an acute lack of direction. He knew well that each
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word of praise committed in print represented an investment expected
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to yield generous dividends; that the looming weight of his success
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was not itself immune to the fearful and awesome properties of general
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relativity. In point of fact, there
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.I
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was
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.R
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a sort of balance to the
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world, and he was loathe to tip it off\-kilter.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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The problem was, finally, that these latest designs were not going
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to work. That is to say, Plinth could not decide between them. In
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years gone by such an impasse would have met with the unhesitant
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scrapping of the entire line\(emPlinth would fire the responsible team
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and start over from scratch. But it was far too late for that, this
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year. He would have to make a choice from amongst what had already
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been placed in front of him. He knew it was imperative to come to a
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decision, but still he was unsure of his direction.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Yes, so something of some significance had actually changed. He
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cycled between each layout and reprimanded himself sternly for his
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indecision. Why was he making this so difficult? As he stared at each
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proposal, he could not determine to his satisfaction which was
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superior. They all seemed to consist of roughly the same elements.
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Each seemed equal in merit to the next.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"There is urine all over the front of this toilet," complained
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Maude Mold, Plinth's wife of some twenty\-five years. "Sometimes I sit
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down and my pant leg touches it\(emI can feel it."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth looked up from his leaf. "I guess I'll need to clean that
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up."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"That'd be a good idea, so I don't fucking retch."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Previous flirtations with indecision had cost Plinth an entire
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season's work. He had ended up pushing a wave of repaints into the
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stores for Redaction Day. No truly new figures for over six months.
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Mention of that debacle was now off\-limits in staff meetings, but the
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dark period lingered in his memory. Fatigued, he thought to himself
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that bouncing back from abject failure was a young man's game.
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.fp 1 R H
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.fp 2 I HI
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.fp 3 B HB
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.fp 4 BI HM
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.QP
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.ps 8
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To All Employees:
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Our Guiding Principles form the basis for how we should manage our
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day\-to\-day interactions with customers and each other. They are the
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unchanging foundation that supports how we conduct ourselves everyday.
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Along with our Business Plan objectives and Factors for Dominance, the
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Guiding Principles form the building blocks to ensure the Figures
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Department and ultimately UNIVERSAL MOLD's success.
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Click here to view the presentation of the month that discusses the
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importance of "Hold Yourself and Others Accountable."
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Act with Honesty and Integrity at All Times
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.br
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Exhibit a Positive Attitude
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.br
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Treat Everyone with Courtesy and Respect
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.br
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Do What You Say You are Going to Do
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.br
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Seek First to Understand Then Be Understood
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.br
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Communicate Clearly and Often
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.br
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Inspect What You Expect
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.br
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Execute Flawlessly Everyday
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.br
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Recognize and Encourage Continuously
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.br
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Hold Yourself and Others Accountable
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Thank you,
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Plinth Mold
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.br
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President, UNIVERSAL MOLD
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.LP
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.fp 1 R GA
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.fp 2 I GI
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.fp 3 B GM
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.fp 4 BI GMI
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"I can't believe I just wrote that," thought Plinth Mold. "I
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wonder how I would respond to a message like this, were I to receive
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it from my own employer." But of course, Plinth Mold did not have an
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employer. Had not, in fact, for some time. (Maude, it was true, was
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only his wife.) He tapped the appropriate region on his leaf's screen,
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causing his message to be sent. He hated these condescending
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dispatches, but this one had been necessary, something about gradated
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impacts that had bubbled up from Force Management, and if that were
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the case, it might as well bear his own signature instead of one
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belonging to some irrelevant middle manager. He sought solace through
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embracing the inherent nobility of his judgment, but, curiously,
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accepting his responsibility failed to improve his sagging mood. He
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still felt blank\(emor worse, confused.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"When you sit there with your pen, scratching away, it almost
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appears as if you have friends," allowed Maude. "Your movements, these
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gestures toward what appears to be the composition of some sort of
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communique, are so realistic."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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Plinth sighed, folded up his leaf and turned off the lamp on his
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nightstand. He removed his eye patch and laid it on the table next to
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his face, then ran his fingers over the concave surface where his
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eyeball should have been. His toes were freezing, but Maude would not
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countenance another blanket or any adjustment to the environmental
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controls. Perhaps he could show her the figure designs, see if she
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could muster a preference for one in particular. Immediately, he
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wondered what that would cost him in the event of an acrimonious
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separation, and so he closed his mouth. He'd better just do it
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himself. Like so much else.
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.PP
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.ps 10
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"It's an expensive illusion, created just for you."
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.PP
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.ps 10
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There was silence, then, but he knew that he had said too much.
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