I must share an email I received last week from the husband (funny and wise) of a wise woman friend of mine.  The backstory was from last August, when this couple were part of a dinner party gathering at my house… and a good 1.5 hours into the party, they were a no show.  So I reached them on the phone, where come to find out there was no recording of this event on their calendar. Luckily, no alternative plans had been made, so they scooted over to our house to join us for a lovely dinner (if I do say so myself) of lobster quesadillas with three dipping sauces (recipe compliments of Bobby Flay).  Of course, I’m still convinced this friend was being utimately the wisest – as in claiming short term memory loss, she was relieved of her duty to provide a dessert and side dish for the meal. (Lucky for all of us, this was a good thing, as there was already plenty of food).   Upon arriving at this event, the husband was quick to say, that he must be kept in the loop on all these plans, as he is the ultimate executor and calendar keeper.

So fast forward to last week, when another event is being planned on the calendar.  Ken (names have not been changed to protect the innocent, via explicit direction from Mr. VP of Told What to Do and Not Ask Questions) shoots out an email that the organizer must of course check in with his wife, Lori, who is the ultimate decision maker of the household.  I then shoot an email to him, reminding him, after last summer’s debacle, that I thought he now controls the calendar.

So this is the reply I received:

Dear Mrs. E:

Seems to be an interpretation inaccuracy by your corporation.  Please allow me to explain.

Once the Chairman (Lori) approves the event and date, it is then sent to the transportation and event coordination department.  That department makes sure that this event is listed on the transportation department calendar (Ken) and that department also consults with the Chairman regularly to:

1. Remind her of the schedule to make sure there are no conflicting events, and
2. Not embarrass the Chairman with a no show at a scheduled event that may disappoint shareholders.

I do hope this clarifies the operating constraints with which we (Ken) deal with internally at our corporation and you will continue to do business with us.  

Should you need further clarification, you are welcome to write to our Human Resources department (Ken). However, I cannot guarantee the level of customer service you will receive.

Again, we look forward to a continued enjoyable relationship.

With kind regards,

Ken W
VP of Told What To Do and Not Ask Questions

So, it’s nice to report, ladies, that Lori has successfully broken through the glass ceiling in her household. Her Vice Presidential staff clearly knows their place and is highly supportive of the Chairman’s efforts.  So I must sign off…it’s Sunday night, and I must deliver the Strategic Plan for the week of June 16th to my VP of Told What To Do and Not Ask Questions – currently he’s on temporary probation for failing to achieve his “Honey Dos” list from the week of June 9th.