John knocked on his boss’s door. “Excuse me, Al. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” Al responded. “Come on in and have a seat.”
John sat down in a chair across the desk from Al. “I’ll get right to the point, he said. “In my written review you wrote that I need to crank it to eleven. What did you mean by that?”
“John,” Al said. “It means that it’s time for you to turn up the volume.”
John looked confused. “Turn up the volume, sir?”
“You know what I mean, John,” Al responded. “It’s time to put the pedal to the metal.”
“The pedal to the metal?”
“John, you know what I’m saying,” Al said. “You need to give it 110 percent.”
“Are you suggesting I’m not doing all I can for this job?” John asked.
“I’m just saying that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, John,” Al said. “It’s time for you to shoot for the moon, to sing like no one is listening.”
“I see,” said John.
“Good,” said Al, “because you know that you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take. Son, you need to make hay while the sun shines. When opportunity knocks you need to answer the door.”
“Yes, I see what you’re getting at,” John said, trying hard not to roll his eyes.
“Good,” said Al. “Now go out there and make it rain, my boy.”
John went back to his cubicle and started drafting his resignation letter.
Written for today’s one-word prompt, “crank.”
Our lives include one negotiation after another. When we negotiate, we are attempting to obtain or bring about some end by way of discussion or other means, including non-verbal communication.
We negotiate daily, often without recognizing it to be a negotiation. When we’re kids, we are continually negotiating with our parents. How late can we stay up at night? What chores must we do? How much will our allowance be?
This, That, and the Other 