Page 61 of The Gin Lover's Guide to Dating

‘Oh, right… sure,’ I reply. ‘Guess I’d better go then.’

I leave the bar and quickly make my way through the hotel, jangling with anticipation. Could this be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for? A vacancy at Head Office? That would be amazing. It could be the lucky break I’ve been waiting for; perhaps meaning I can wave goodbye to my career and money worries.

Fuelled by this optimism, I reach Aaron’s office and knock assertively on his door.

‘Come in,’ he calls in response.

I open the door and stride inside to find Aaron leaning on his desk, poring over something on his computer. His hands are semi clasped, with just his index fingers extended, tapping out his thought process.

‘Reyes said you wanted to see me?’ I prompt him.

‘That’s right,’ he says, without looking up. ‘Take a seat.’

I obediently sit down on the chair at the other side of his desk, and lean forward to signal my eagerness to get down to business. Aaron either doesn’t notice this, or he ignores it, and continues to stare at the screen for a minute or so longer, before fixing his gaze on me.

‘Something has come up that requires your skill set.’

‘What’s that?’ I try to act nonchalant, but I’m willing him to get to the point. ‘Reyes said it was communications-related?’

‘It is.’ He nods stiffly, his gaze shifting back to his computer screen momentarily, before he locks it back on me.

My almost non-existent patience finally erodes. ‘Has a vacancy come up at Head Office?’

Aaron shakes his head. ‘No, Liv. It’s me who needs your skill set.’

‘OK…’ I digest this, wondering what it means. ‘Are you looking for a communications person for the hotel? Have you been granted some budget or something?’

‘Again, no.’ Aaron eyes me almost curiously, causing me to shift slightly in my seat. ‘I said I’d let you know straight away if anything came up.’

‘Of course.’ I can feel my cheeks flaming under his scrutiny. I’m acutely aware of the crushing disappointment written on my face.

‘I’ve been asked to do an article for a well-known Scottish magazine; a piece on my career. They’re doing a feature on inspirational Scottish leaders in different professions and apparently they see me as some kind of role model.’

‘Right… wow. An acknowledgment of your hard work. That’s exciting… isn’t it?’ I take in his less than enthused demeanour.

‘I don’t do what I do for praise, Liv.’ Aaron cocks his head to the left, as if trying to ascertain the reason for my previous statement. ‘I do it because it matters to me; because helping people learn and grow is important.’

‘Which is exactly why you’ve been recognised in this way,’ I try again.

My disappointment at this not being the opportunity I was hoping for is immediately forgotten as I tune in to Aaron’s discomfort. I’ve seen this before. True leaders never want the spotlight. They show people the way, and their reward is seeing them blossom and succeed. They are a rarer breed than the type of leader Sharon is: driven by power, money and an oversized ego. The type who’d elbow anyone out the way for a shot on the podium. Aaron is clearly struggling with the attention. It’s not in his nature to sell himself publicly the way the magazine wants. This is my chance to repay some of the favours he’s so selflessly paid me.

‘So, what do you need from me?’ I ask. ‘What kind of article is it?’

He grimaces, glancing back at the PC screen again. ‘That’s the problem. They didn’t give me much of a brief. Just asked me to write something about how I got to where I am in my career, and that shows who I am as a leader. They said they’ll reshape it for the article.’

‘OK.’ I smile at him. ‘We can work with that. What have you written so far?’

Aaron swivels his PC screen round so I can see what’s there. I quickly read through the three lengthy paragraphs he’s composed, and it doesn’t take long to identify the problem. It’s glaringly obvious. I just have to make sure I’m diplomatic in my feedback to him.

‘The good news is that you write well…’ I pause, as I consider how to frame the more constructive elements of my feedback.

‘Do not dance around me, Liv.’ Aaron removes his glasses and leans back in his seat. ‘I’m not someone who needs the niceties.’

‘Right, of course.’ I ditch the dialogue that’s forming in my head. ‘As I said – and I mean this – you write well. This…’ I wave my hand towards the screen. ‘It’s a great promotional piece for the hotel. But where are you in it? The reader will want to know where you’ve come from, the challenges you’ve overcome in your career, how you’ve honed your leadership style. They need to see your success and just a smidgen of your vulnerability, so they can identify with you.’

‘I thought you might say something like that.’ Aaron rubs his chin reflectively. ‘That kind of…fluff… it doesn’t come easily to me.’

I laugh, then put my hand to my mouth in apology. ‘It’s not “fluff”, Aaron. It’s important. You’re the reason the staff in this hotel are happy, why they give great service and why they stay here. Which is ultimately why the customers give great ratings on TripAdvisor and why they keep coming back. You’ve created a working environment where people can see a career and a future, not just a way of paying the bills. And although you’re not the… how do I put this… thetouchy-feelykind, the people I’ve spoken to here are in no doubt of your support. That’s what you need to get across in this article – along with a bit about who you are outside of work, any work you do in the community, how you fit being a dad into the picture, that kind of thing.’

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