Coming September 23rd... Chapter 1: Olympia This is not the way I imagined my Monday morning starting off. Usually, it began with my mom and me having a cup of tea and catching up on our weekend as if we didn’t talk daily. Instead, I was in the conference room at Champions of Hope, preparing for the very first time to fire an employee. In the five years I’ve been in business, I’ve never had an employee that lived to make my life a living hell as much as Sara Williamson did. She was fresh out of nursing school when I hired her on a recommendation from one of my trusted former colleagues, and the only reason she stayed around that long was that I really wanted to help her get to the next level in her career. But as the saying goes, you can’t help evr’ybody! I took a second to go over the notes I’ve memorized like my name, praying that I didn’t miss anything. Ensure that the employee is not surprised. They should already know they were performing below standard. Check. Sara has been called in regarding her performance several times. She failed to meet the minimum goals of the job. Be clear and concise. Check. I have an itemized list of Sara’s excessive absenteeism and her write-ups from breaking the code of conduct. Have a witness. Check. I have two. My mom, Athena Champion, our office manager, will take notes, and my right-hand girl, Kia, our HR Director. Make sure your actions are legal. Check. This was the first thing I did after deciding to fire Sara. My one-woman legal team was nothing to mess with. I guess I eventually needed to go through this as a CEO, but dammit, why did it have to be her. Be prepared for emotion but keep yours in check. Check. If she tried it, security would be escorting Ms. Sara back to her car before she can even think about causing a scene. Plus, today was not the day to mess with me. I was a few months away from my 35th birthday, and things weren’t coming together in life or my party like I needed them to. I was a walking billboard for Murphy’s Law. Every gotdamn thing was going wrong, and I couldn’t stay ahead of the disasters no matter how hard I tried. More than anything, I was pissed that Sara put me in this predicament when she has so many people rooting for her. What a waste. After a few minutes alone with my notes and lukewarm tea, my mom and Kia walked in with their notepads and serious faces. Sara did not want smoke with any of us today. We did not come to play. The security office sent me a text moments later to say that Sara was on her way up. We had just a minute or two to finalize the details before Sara made it to the 11th floor. Champions of Care is a staffing agency housed in a new, modern, twenty-eight-floor building on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. I signed a lease for this office space for ten years and am currently five years into it. This space sold me with its open concept reception area, one large conference room, one large communal work area, and two huddle/call rooms inside the collaborative space. This was the perfect space for me as I didn’t have more than three employees as permanent office staff, but I needed a home base where my staff nurses could come for training and meetings. The best part about this building was that it was within walking distance from my condo. Especially since I hated to drive. This eliminated that problem, plus I didn’t have to worry about parking. Win-win situation. Sara walked in looking wary, her body language already defensive before any of us had even uttered a word. “Umm, hey. I got an email from Kia about this meeting. What’s up?” “Have a seat, Sara. As you know, you were on a corrective action plan, and it ended yesterday.” Ensure that the employee is not surprised. They should already know they were performing below standard. She absolutely was not surprised by me mentioning her corrective action. I continued, “according to your plan, you were not to exceed two absences, in addition to following the code of conduct you signed for Champions of Care and The Abagail Center.” Be clear and concise. “I have Kia here as our HR Director and Mrs. Champion as our witness and notetaker. Feel free to stop me at any time if you have any questions.” Have a witness. “Olympia, you don’t need to drag this out. Are you firing me?” Homegirl was getting snippy. I would not let her take control of this meeting. Kia was to my left and made a sound to clear her throat as if she was offering me a reminder to stay on track. Mommy had yet to say a word. “Sara. I want to make sure you understand everything. Unfortunately, our contract with The Abagail Center as visiting staff nurses requires us to terminate any licensed nurse who breaks the code of ethics. You did that when you were caught leaving a dementia patient outside unattended to talk on the phone.” Make sure your actions are legal. “But she was right there. I could still see her. I didn’t even walk far.” Sara raised her voice, which caused Kia and my mom to stop writing and look at me. I was calm, though. “They are lying. I asked them for proof, and as of yesterday, they still haven’t shown me anything.” “I hear you. You have a right to request that information. I will be sure to send you what was sent to me. According to Abagail House, you were away from the patient for two minutes, and that is not acceptable. For that reason, we have to terminate you effective immediately.” Be prepared for emotion but keep yours in check. The rest of the meeting proceeded with Sara denying her role in her own demise, followed by some HR feedback from Kia. Unfortunately, we would not provide her with a positive reference for future employment, and it would go on her permanent record. Once the Sara shit show was over, we went out for an extended lunch and talked about everything except what just happened. Just as I expected, my birthday party was a hot topic, and my mom said that my sister Zafirah would be willing to help me out. At five o’clock on the dot, I started making my way home, wishing that I had someone waiting on me, not a permanent fixture, so to speak. Just someone who could help me get rid of the stressors that have me tense and anxiety-filled lately. I guess I could call up one of my ole’ trusty dudes to do the job, but I didn’t feel like a whole lot of talking, and none of them could be trusted to do the deed and leave. Oh well, I guess my dog, Mags, and I will have to take a nice, long walk followed by a nice glass of wine and some ratchet TV. But I was ok with that. Year thirty-five would bring me more excitement. I was putting that out into the universe and wishing it into existence. Chapter 2: Gavin Today was going to be a long Friday! My thoughts took the lead as I stepped off the elevator and headed to my office. As the newly installed President and CEO of Midtown West Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, I’ve taken this walk a total of thirty-two times. I couldn’t believe I was back in ATL. I got the call on my fortieth birthday back in July, and here we are two months later, with me getting along nicely in my dream job. I’m still amazed that I was offered the position without an MD behind my name and was proud to be the youngest person to ever hold it. But the board was adamant about selecting someone with modern, fresh ideas who wanted to focus on infrastructure, rebuilding the hospital brand, and improving the standard of care. My background and work experience highlighted those things excellently. It helps that Dr. Williamson is my Executive Vice President and was my prior boss when I was COO at another hospital. He’s an excellent mentor and assured me that I should soak up as much knowledge from him as I could before he retired. This was no easy feat or accomplishment, but I worked very hard to get here. Before heading to my private office, I decided to stop and take in the view before me. This was the newest wing of the hospital and featured windows so wide and clean that it looked like you could walk right outside from the twenty-second floor. I had to be sure to commend the Safety & Facilities department on the improvement. Most people thought I was unqualified and crazy when I concentrated on restructuring this department first. There was a reason for my madness. Appearance is critical in the healthcare field. If things looked good inside and out, the rest of the organization would fall into place or, at the very least, begin to take pride in their work, environment, and roles within the hospital organization. If nothing else, those who couldn’t or wouldn’t get with the program would find themselves looking for employment elsewhere. I’ve been tasked with changing the culture of this hospital, and I plan on succeeding at it. My executive assistant, Daniel, recently graduated from Mortonhouse University with his MBA but interning at the hospital since undergrad. He came to me from the neurology department because the original executive assistant decided that she disagreed with my hiring and turned in her retirement papers. It was the best decision for both of us. Daniel was efficient, professional, detailed, and he seemed to be able to read my mind. The best thing about Daniel is that even though I arrived every morning at 7 am, he was already here. Since we were both new in our roles, we were working upwards of twelve-hour days, but I planned on getting Daniel to cut back soon. I didn’t want him to burn out. “Mr. Upchurch, your tea is coming, we ran out of the chai tea bags, so I’ve just requested for more to be sent up. Your nine am meeting with the Chief of the ER department has been moved to Conference Room Seven instead of five; there was a connection issue with the Wi-Fi, and I have the IT department looking into it. I’ve updated all of the attendees, and breakfast should be set up by 8:45. Did you need anything else while you get settled?” This was why I was happy to see Robin’s hateful ass walk out the door. Didn’t I say he was efficient? I know he had career goals and aspirations more significant than being my assistant, and I already hated to see him go. Someone with his talent, skillset, and drive would go far, and I wouldn’t stop this black man from breaking the glass ceiling. Instead, I would do what I could to make sure he got there faster. “Thanks Daniel. Nothing else. I’ll see you in a few for our daily check-in. How are things coming along with the wedding planning?” He was engaged to his college sweetheart; they were currently planning a small, intimate wedding ceremony to save on time, money, and stress. Smart. “Going good. Drica is making a big deal about not having a DJ, so we are starting our own wedding playlist and will send it to all our guests, allowing them to add their choices. Since it will be the people closest to us and our very best friends, we know everyone will pick songs that will work for all the guests. Oh, and I talked to Drica, you can bring a plus one. She was happy to make that exception for you. Right after, she told me that my raggedy, ratchet cousin Jayson better leave his ‘estranged’ wife at home.” Cedrica, Daniel’s fearless fiancée, ran a tight ship. He walked back to his office while we both laughed at Drica banning Jayson’s wife from the wedding. Being an observer of their relationship made me think back on my marriage and divorce to Jesslyn. Jess and I met in fall 1999 as undergrads at The Central Florida University when I was starting my senior year, and she was a junior. I thought we would just have a quick relationship for my last year of school because my five-year plan was already written, proofread, and printed. It did not include any emotionally severe entanglements, and it damn sure didn’t include a whole wife. But being with Jesslyn caused me to rewrite everything I thought my life would be. When we met, she was really driven, but not so serious that she couldn’t have fun. And we had fun. All the time. Since we lived in Orlando, we visited Disney World more times than I could count, and that was before we had kids. Things just felt right between us. That feeling continued until Jess got pregnant. Or should I say we got pregnant; she didn’t get that way on her own. Early in our relationship, Jess mentioned that she’d gotten pregnant when she was seventeen but decided to terminate that pregnancy. She said it was the most heartbreaking experience she’d ever had in her life, and because of it, we were extra careful with protection. A cold, followed by her being prescribed antibiotics and ending with a night of us celebrating her promotion at work, led to all our careful planning being thrown out the window. Once we got the positive pregnancy results, we decided to get married. Our beautiful, curious daughter, Melodie, was born in May, a few weeks after graduation. Micah, or Mu, as we called him, followed four years later. Things started changing with Jess and me when we moved to Atlanta, and I was promoted to Chief Operations Officer of an extensive healthcare system. Suddenly, she turned into real housewives cast member, and I never saw it coming. After that, I always regretted moving her away from our family and support system because they kept her grounded. We were constantly fighting about her spending and some of the decisions she was making for the kids. It never got better, even though we both kept saying we were working on it. When the kids were ten and six, we separated. The divorce was finalized a year later. Jess decided to go back to Orlando to be close to her family and raise the kids there, so I followed her. But I could not pass up this opportunity when it presented itself; Chief Executive Officer at the top hospital in the area, I had to take it. The only thing that caused a second thought in my mind was how this move would affect my kids. They gave me their blessing and said they liked the idea of being able to visit Atlanta. I don't usually spend much time reminiscing, but the wedding talk had me traveling down memory lane. Thankfully, Jess and I were in a good place now as coparents, and I spoke to the kids almost daily. The only time we didn’t talk is if they were busy with friends or activities. As I was looking over my notes for the day, Daniel walked back in at the same time my office phone rang. That meant it was someone who had my direct extension if Daniel’s phone didn’t ring. “Let me take this, Daniel, come back in five?” He nodded at my request as he exited my office while working on his iPad. This guy was always working. “Upchurch.” I know it wasn’t as professional a greeting as it should have been, but it was barely 7am; this call was throwing me off schedule. “Gavin, did Mu call you yesterday?” She had a knack for these early morning calls. I just wished she would have skipped it today. “No, Jess, he didn’t. What’s up?” “Well, your son, Micah Upchurch, was in a fight at school yesterday, and he’s been suspended for two days, plus benched for the next two football games.” “What the hell happened?” I was concerned about the fight, but I also knew that Mu wouldn’t see the game suspension as punishment because he didn’t love football as much as he loved basketball. “He said a boy was teasing a smaller, quiet girl in class, and he warned him to stop; the boy didn’t stop, so he punched him.” “Well, I don’t see a problem there. Mu was defending her. We both would have encouraged him to do as such.” These schools did a horrible job with their zero policy infractions. There needed to be certain exceptions; someone standing up to a bully was one of them. “I’ll call him after my meeting since he’s home, then I will get the principal on the phone. Lonnie and I know each other from childhood, so I’ll see what I can do. But I will not make him apologize.” Mu did nothing wrong. It was my job as his father to assure him of that. We shouldn’t have him thinking it was wrong to defend someone being taken advantage of. Hell no. Not on my watch. “Please do that. He’s worried that you would be upset with him for being suspended from school. I told him that we would always be proud of him for making the right decision.” Jess was one hundred percent correct. I was happy that we were aligned and aimed to raise our children to be good human beings. “So, what else is up with you? When’s the next time you’re coming home?” Her tone switched to something more flirtatious. Oh shit, I knew I shouldn’t have fucked her before leaving Orlando to come to Atlanta. It was a bad decision all around. We promised that was the last time cause it wasn’t heading anywhere, and our kids didn’t need the confusion. “You know that I’m being honored by the black student union at our alma mater next month. I’ll get with Mel and Mu, we’ll plan something with my mom. She’s been chomping at the bit to see Mu. He’s been so busy, but luckily Mel stops by often since she drives now.” “I’ll be around as well. Just FYI.” She had the nerve to giggle after staying that. “Jess, you already know we said we would dead that situation.” I chose my next set of words carefully; my ex-wife has always been sensitive to rejection. Or what she determined was rejection. “Plus, the kids almost caught us, and we don’t want them having false expectations about us. Right?” Maybe if she felt like this was her idea, it would take the sting out of it. “Right! I was just mentioning that in case you wanted us to all hang out together. That’s it. You’re really feeling yourself today, huh, Gavin?” Her giggle turned into a full-blown, uncomfortable laugh. “I’m confident every day, Jess! But let me go, Daniel is waiting for me for our morning meeting. Tell Mu I’ll call him later.” I hung up after her soft goodbye, then informed Daniel that we could finally get the day started. And what a day it would be once he presented me with a list of tasks that seemed as if it would take a week to complete. In his usual fashion, Daniel quickly followed up with an incredibly detailed plan of action, then walked away to start executing. Damn, I’m really going to miss him when I must promote him. For now, I had shit to do, and first up was prepping for this meeting where I was gonna turn shit upside down and probably piss a few people off in the process. It’s a good thing I wasn’t hired to make friends. The Champ is Here is available for Preorder! Click here to order your copy.
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