New Boss summons Line Manager to let him know Stepford Employee has now arrived (she could have collected him herself en route, but she took care to enter by the side door, thus avoiding his office.) When Line Manager enters, Stepford Employee makes sure she thanks him prettily for kindly agreeing to a slight alteration in the start time of the meeting.
Yes, there is "history" between Stepford Employee and her Line Manager - a painful saga of mis-management, lies and discrediting (oh - that's just him, you understand. Stepford Employee merely asserted her right not to be bullied). But on this lovely afternoon, with the air-conditioning gently humming, the sun streaming through the window, and Stepford Employee softly sharing information about her area of work, one could almost be lulled into thinking that these two people have a positive and productive working relationship.
Things are going swimmingly when, as the meeting is drawing to a close, New Boss mentions the report he emailed round last Friday. Yes - New Boss has written a report! A report which seeks to strategically alter policy !!
Ah. Ho hum. Deary me.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with New Boss's report, other than the fact it is takes absolutely no account of the reality of Stepford Employee's particular area of work. It seeks to impose a solution which her many years experience tells her will not succeed. And he wants to know what she thinks about it.
Therein lies the danger.
Real Woman would be happy to tell him what she thinks, but her views would be blunt, her concern palpable, her warnings unedited, and her alternative solutions detailed. Real Woman would do all these things because she cares about what happens and doesn't want anything to go wrong. Real Woman would invest her time, energy and passion into trying to get the best result for the organisation.
However, this is exactly the kind of thing which made Real Woman deeply unpopular amongst certain members of the Hierarchy as well as colleagues, and led her to the point of a nervous breakdown (old-fashioned term for her Mental Health Episode). So Real Woman peeps out of the closet, sniffs the air, scents danger and quickly slams the door shut again.
Stepford Employee seizes her moment to take centre stage!
"I haven't had a chance to look at your report in detail yet" she murmurs softly, "but I thought your matrix looked very interesting. And I'm really looking forward to reading it all properly this afternoon".
New Boss develops a slight swagger (quite a challenge for a man who is sitting down) and regales Stepford Employee with a five minute monologue, explaining how he managed to drive his report through resistance from both officers and politicians. It is an account which reeks of macho Northern sweat. Stepford Employee has to resist the temptation to murmur "my, you're so MANLY and BRAVE !!"
The best she can do is lower her head, peep up through her lashes (Benefit's "They're Real" - brilliant product....) and gaze admiringly in New Boss's direction.
Line Manager, who has known Stepford Employee in her previous guise of Real Woman for over a decade, says nothing but looks thoroughly unnerved.
As well he might.
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