Page 1 of Isolated
ONE
Iris
Self-doubt was mostly a foreign concept to me.
I’d always considered myself to be a confident woman. I didn’t think it would have been possible for me to get this far in my life and career if I wasn’t so sure of myself and my capabilities. But even those most self-assured individuals would feel just a touch uneasy when their boss walked into the conference room at the end of the meeting they were leading.
My eyes caught a glimpse of him as he entered, and though I felt a slight chill run along my spine, I didn’t falter. Then again, the timing couldn’t have been any more perfect.
“That’s going to be it for today,” I told my team. “I appreciate all of you remaining engaged in this meeting on a Friday afternoon, especially this close to the end of the workday. We’ll pick this up on Monday. Have a great weekend.”
Murmurs of understanding filled the air as my colleagues stood from their seats, gathered their things, and filed out of the conference room. I offered a few smiles and nods as they exited before my attention drifted to my boss.
Robert Clark didn’t typically sit in on meetings. Not now, anyway. He’d done it on the first two or three that I’d led on my own, but he hadn’t done it since. And it was only that which had me wondering if there was something I needed to be concerned about. Had there been an issue with one of the recent campaigns we’d done?
I hoped not.
In fact, I believed the last several I’d worked on and completed were some of my best works yet.
Seven years ago, I’d landed my first job at Mono Mark Solutions, a marketing agency that focused on providing clients with the very best opportunities to grow their businesses while broadening their customer base.
I was initially hired as an entry-level digital marketing specialist before working my way up through the ranks to a senior digital marketing manager. And just eight months ago, I’d been promoted to marketing director. I took my job seriously, and I absolutely loved the work I did. That was likely the reason I’d done so well over the years, earning promotions much sooner than was typical within the company.
As I shifted my attention to Robert, I couldn’t miss the proud look on his face as he approached me. It alleviated any lingering concerns I had about his unusual visit, considering he was generally a stern man.
He came to a stop in front of me and glanced down at his watch. “This late on a Friday afternoon, and somehow,you manage to make it so not even one of them had a glazed-over expression. That’s impressive, Iris.”
I smiled at him, unwilling to allow his demeanor to impact the way I carried myself. “Well, you know I prefer to meet in the mornings when everyone is usually fresh and ready to work, but I had a few tasks that took me all morning to complete, and I didn’t want anyone to leave here today without having a broad sense of our next couple of projects.”
Robert held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, you’ve got no complaints from me. It doesn’t matter to me when you make them happen, as long as you and your team continue producing the results that you have been.”
Standing a bit taller, feeling proud, I tipped my chin higher. “Thank you, sir. Is there a reason you decided to drop in at the tail end of this meeting today?”
“Two of them, actually. First, I wanted to let you know that I spoke to Dale Mackey and Michael Russel earlier this afternoon.
It took a few seconds for the names to register. Dale and Michael were the equivalent of Robert at their respective companies. My team and I had worked together on campaigns for both companies recently. “Is everything alright?”
“It is. In fact, both Dale and Michael wanted to reach out to me personally to express their thanks and praise for the work we did for them. They’re seeing increased numbers across the board in every category.”
I had suspected as much would be the case. Again, I was excellent at what I did, and my team was tremendous. “I’m not surprised, but I’m thrilled to hear that. Those campaigns were exceptional. I’ll share the newswith the rest of the team on Monday. They’ll appreciate that.”
“If you believe that will keep them motivated, share away.” As he pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes roamed over my face in a contemplative way, forcing me to recall he’d had two reasons for visiting me this afternoon. As though sensing my concern, he said, “I guess I should share the second reason I came in here to talk to you. It’s about your motivation.”
My brows knit together. I came in to work each day, eager about the job I had to do. I hadn’t believed my motivation was lacking in the slightest. “Pardon?”
He shook his head, as much of a look of approval as I could expect from him washing over his expression. “If things continue going as they are, I’m afraid we’re going to have to replace you.”
My stomach dropped. That made not a bit of sense. He’d just been telling me how great of a job we’d done on the campaigns for two companies. “Sir?”
Robert might have been a gruff man, but he’d always been fair, especially when it came to the work we did. If we were meeting or exceeding our goals, he was happy. And I was not only relieved but also proud to admit I hadn’t had any problems accomplishing that month after month.
I noticed the barest hint of a twitch of his mouth. “It’s been less than a year, and I’m pleased to admit, you’ve surpassed all expectations I had about putting you in this position as marketing director.”
“If that’s the case, I’m not sure I understand why you’d want to replace me.”
It might have seemed strange or bold to others that Iwas willing to be so direct with my boss, but I guess that’s where the confidence kicked in. If I was going to be relieved of my position when I was doing an excellent job, I deserved to know why.
“We’re not looking to fire you, Iris,” Robert assured me. “But it’s likely we’re going to need a new marketing director if we promote you to Vice President of Marketing.”
