One of my sisters, Heidi, accepted a management position with a well-known cosmetic company. She was excited for the new opportunity.

Shortly after arriving and settling in her new position, the company decided that Heidi’s talents and sales track record were better served with one of its cosmetic lines located in a major department store outside the city. It would be the company’s last ditch effort to save the cosmetic line’s business in the area.

The news of the change came with mixed reviews. On one hand, this presented a great opportunity for Heidi to make an immediate impression and position herself for future growth within the company by turning around a fledgling cosmetic line. On the other hand, the commute from her apartment in the city to the new location would be a grueling two-hours each direction, requiring her to take a series of trains and buses. Nonetheless, she felt up to the challenge.

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Forty-eight hours before Rodney, a technology executive in Silicon Valley, was to speak at a major industry conference in Las Vegas, he asked my agency to prepare press materials that would be distributed during his presentation.

In short order my team assembled the materials, and provided them to Rodney for his review. Given the tight timeframe, we suggested that he carry the materials with him on the plane, as opposed to having them shipped overnight, to reduce the risk of them getting lost or misplaced.

Because Rodney was unwilling to lug the materials himself, we contacted the conference manager for specific shipping and delivery instructions to ensure the materials would arrive on time. As is routine, we also called to confirm delivery. Continue reading →