by Bob Brown
In the days following Kyle’s treatment, Jason had prayed like he had never prayed before. Mostly, he prayed for Kyle, that God would cure him or, if that was not possible, at least show him mercy by keeping him strong spiritually and physically for the fight ahead.
Jason had also begged God’s forgiveness for his own selfishness and for his sin in discounting God’s place in his life. He resolved to seek a better understanding of God’s will for his journey. And he prayed especially that God would give him the wisdom to do what was right at Jagged Edge and the confidence to deal with the circumstances and personalities that he would have to overcome.
So it was with absolute peace that he got up one morning and just decided to do it. Jason was going to quit his job at Jagged Edge. Today.
Part of it had to do with Kyle. Actually, to be truthful, all of it had to do with Kyle. It had been just over a week since Jason and Kyle had received the bad news from Dr. Neumann. Since that time, Jason had found little at work to interest him. He was simply going through the motions, spending most of his waking hours worried about his friend. Suddenly, things were in sharper focus. His job meant nothing compared to what Kyle was now facing.
To be sure, Jason had done his best in the weeks since his dinner with Merle and Karen to do what they had suggested and consider all of the possibilities. In the end, he knew only that the decision was his to make and that his friends would support that decision. So he didn’t call Kyle, or Karen, or Merle. He had made the decision. He would tell them about it later.
As part of the decision process, Jason had resolved not to actively seek employment with another agency until he had made a clean break with Jagged Edge. And in the weeks leading up to his decision, he had, as much as possible, avoided contact with his clients. He wanted to avoid any hint of impropriety, and he certainly didn’t want anything to leak back to Sam, Alex, or Jack. When he left Jagged Edge, the only thing Jason would be taking with him was his reputation. He needed to ensure that it was intact.
But even though he had finally made the decision and was at peace with it, Jason remained angry. As he arrived at the office on a brilliant morning on one of the final days in May, he still felt cheated out of a promising career. He felt nothing but disdain for Sam and Alex. And he hated Jack for his conniving and manipulative ways. Jagged Edge had become the worst of what Jason had feared from the very beginning about the ad business.
It mattered little that Jason was rebuilding his relationship with God. He was sure God would understand that this was just business. In Jason’s mind, this was much like when God had directed the Israelites to purge entire populations after they entered the Promised Land. Jason was going to do his own purging.
*****
Jason wasted no time. Shortly after arriving at work, he hustled past the protests of the executive secretary and stepped into Alex’s office.
“I’d like a meeting with you, Sam, and Jack. Five minutes in the executive board room.”
Alex just glared. Jason was not going to miss that look. Not one bit.
“First of all, we have ways of scheduling meetings around here,” snapped Alex. “This isn’t the way it works. Second, what exactly is this meeting about?”
“Let’s just say it’s a meeting you don’t want to miss. I trust you’ll ensure that both Sam and Jack are made available, because I suspect you’ll want company.”
With that, Jason turned and left the office.
Less than ten minutes later, Jason was standing at the far end of the conference table, opposite Sam and Alex. Jack was seated midway down the table to Jason’s right. From their faces, Jason could tell they were outraged. But their faces also revealed their curiosity. They wanted to know what the meeting was all about.
Not all of Jason’s memories of Jagged Edge were unpleasant. In the early days, in this very room, he had on more than one occasion felt the adrenaline rush of a well-conceived ad campaign presented to a room full of high-level corporate executives. In those days he had been bright-eyed, energetic, and full of hope. He had high expectations and even higher ambitions.
Jason hoped that some day, some how, he could regain that sense of enthusiasm once he had determined a new direction. There was absolutely no doubt that his journey had taken a serious wrong turn. Not only was the horizon no longer visible, it seemed like the sky itself was falling.
But first things first. Jason tried to focus. This was to be his final presentation at Jagged Edge. He wanted to make it a good one.
“Sorry for the short notice,” he began. “But I have some things to say that just couldn’t wait.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just fire you right now,” Jack snarled. “Your insubordination and disrespect know no bounds.”
“Well, as the saying goes, ‘you can’t fire me, because I quit’. But we’ll come back to that in a minute. First, let me share a little story with you. Call it a history lesson.
“Fifty years ago, before any of you were born, a second generation immigrant from Scotland started a car dealership here in San Diego. He had nothing but a dirt lot that his father had used as a make-shift service station. It seems the early models were prone to breakdowns of all kinds, and there was a need for somebody knowledgeable, reliable, and honest to do the repairs. As business grew, so did opportunity, and the young immigrant began selling cars as well as repairing them. With faith, determination, and integrity, that hard-working immigrant earned a foothold in an emerging San Diego economy.
“In a short time, one car became two, two became five, and five became fifty. As word-of-mouth spread the news that this particular dealership provided value, service, and integrity, the company continued to grow and prosper, eventually becoming one of the most profitable dealerships south of San Francisco. That dealership is Garrett Motors.”
“Are you planning on saying anything that makes sense?” Jack asked arrogantly.
“Patience, Jack,” Jason shot back.
“To continue,” Jason began again, “there are many things that distinguish one business from another. Certainly product and people come to mind. And policies. How about profit? Companies are defined by these things in the marketplace. They live or die based on how well or how poorly they manage these things.
“But you know what I’ve found most defines a company? Character. Take the man that started that little auto dealership on the dirt lot in early San Diego. That guy had character. He worked in the hot sun and in the pouring rain to keep the promises he had made to his customers. Because he had character.”
Jason paused. He looked directly at Jack. Then he looked at Sam, and then at Alex.
“Jack asked whether I was going to say anything that makes sense. That’s because he just doesn’t get it. None of you do. This company has no character. Years ago, I actually thought Jagged Edge had the potential to be one of the most dynamic forces in the ad market in the Southwest. I thought with our small size and simple processes we could out-nimble many of the larger companies and seize a significant share of the market.
“To some degree we succeeded. The numbers speak for themselves. But we could have become so much more.”
Jason picked up the bottle of water he had brought with him and took a slow sip. “Don’t worry, I’m almost done,” he said as he replaced the bottle on the table.
“Some years ago I actually approached Sam about what I considered to be a very real potential in the Christian-centered market. My idea was summarily dismissed. At that point, being young and naïve, I just sucked it up and hoped that Sam or Alex would change, or that one or the other would eventually recognize the value of professional relationships based on integrity, mutual respect, and trust. I figured I just had to be patient. Well, things not only didn’t change for the better, they continued to deteriorate. And now, here we are.
“Jagged Edge is at the opposite end of the spectrum from that dirt lot auto dealership.
There is no character or heart in this organization. There is only a misguided presumption that profits alone prove success and that success can be achieved in the absence of conscience. You will find, sooner than you think, that you are sadly mistaken.
“So I end now where I began. I quit.”
There was absolute silence in the conference room. Jason couldn’t tell whether the three were shocked, confused, or simply bored. Whatever their initial reaction, Jack was the first to recover, and he immediately went on the offensive.
“Well, thank you for saving us the trouble of firing you and having to deal with the attendant personnel issues.”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying,” said Jason. “I’m quitting, but you will definitely be having some personnel issues.” Jason had saved the best for last.
“What are you talking about?” asked Sam.
Jason weighed his words carefully. “We all know that your new marketing approach is something akin to the old Dr. Seuss rhyme: ‘One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.’ But instead of red and blue fish, you’re after the great white whale.”
“Cute,” said Alex, “but what’s your point?”
“Let’s not forget that you have a non-disclosure, non-compete clause in your contract,” snarled Jack. “Anything you did or became aware of while employed by Jagged Edge stays here.”
“Precisely where I was going,” replied Jason, feeling increasingly confident.
“You see, from my perspective, there are a couple of things wrong with your scheme.” Then he added sarcastically, “You don’t mind if I call it a scheme do you? Because that’s what it is. It’s not good business, it’s not professional, and it’s not even based on good advertising. It’s just a scheme, based on insider price information and a plan to undercut contracts based on that knowledge.”
“Again, you are bound by non-disclosure,” Alex advised. But she did not sound convincing. Jason sensed that maybe the lights were coming on for at least one of the three.
“You see, that’s the thing,” Jason continued. “You can’t have a legally-binding non-disclosure or non-compete agreement based on an illegal action or intended action. So as far as I’m concerned, I’m under no obligation to just sit idly by while you undermine my integrity, threaten my current clients into long-term contracts, and attempt to entice big-name clients into new agency arrangements by using illegal, insider information.”
“You can’t prove that any of the information I showed you is inside information,” snapped Jack. “In any case, it only exists in my files, and I can simply deny I ever showed the information to you.”
“Bravo, Jack. Spoken like the unethical bastard I know you to be. But you’re right. I can’t necessarily prove you didn’t just fabricate those numbers from your last year’s tax return. But do you really want to take the chance that I might actually pass that information to the FTC, the SBI, or the FBI? You see, while you were busy presenting those numbers to me, I was busy copying them down. I’m sure one or more of those agencies might be interested in knowing where they came from.”
Jason paused for emphasis. “And just in case those agencies are too busy to take notice, I’m certain that the companies who own the numbers would be very interested to know that Jagged Edge had inside information on their contracts. They would be even more impressed with the knowledge that you were planning on using that information against them.”
“Are you trying to blackmail us?” Alex asked. Now that the cards were on the table, all the players were in the game.
“Not at all. But I do think we can do some business together. And here are the terms. First, you will pay me a one year severance based on my last year’s salary plus the highest annual commission earned during the last five years. Second, you will continue to pay all benefits to which I am currently entitled for the same twelve month period.”
Again Jason paused. “Third, and this is where it gets interesting, you will agree not to pursue agency agreements with any of the companies included in the list which Jack and I discussed, the ones which Jack affectionately refers to as the ‘whales'. And remember, I have the list.”
“So you are trying to blackmail us!” screamed Alex. “I think our attorney will have something to say about that.”
“Take your best shot,” replied Jason. “Either way, you lose. As soon as it becomes public what you were scheming -- there’s that word again -- none of your potential ‘whales’ will touch you. And my guess is that most of your existing clients will either bail as soon as their contracts expire or seek immediate action to void their contracts based on gross misconduct by the agency representing them. That would be you.
“The way I see it, by the time the dust settles, you’ll find you owe millions of dollars in legal fees, and there won’t be a client anywhere who will have anything to do with you. Game over.”
Jason picked up his water bottle and started for the door. “Think it over. My offer is good for forty eight hours. After that, I start making phone calls.”
This time when he closed the door, Jason actually felt good about it. Besides, he knew what he was going to do.
Chapter 52
The next morning, even before he had finished dressing, Jason’s cell phone rang. It was Sam. “We accept your offer,” was all she said. Then she hung up.
So when Kyle arrived at the car dealership around 8 AM and opened the door to his office, he stared directly into the soles of Jason’s size twelve’s. Jason was seated in Kyle’s chair, behind Kyle’s desk, feet planted firmly in the middle of Kyle’s inbox. He was reading Kyle’s Wall Street Journal. And eating a chocolate donut. With sprinkles.
“Hey, good morning, Kyle. I brought donuts and coffee.”
“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked, not used to being surprised before his first cup of coffee.
Jason put down the newspaper and handed his friend a large cup of Starbucks. “Well, a couple of things. First, I had a meeting at work yesterday and quit my job. So I don’t have anywhere else to go. Second, Sam and Alex accepted the termination offer I made them. So for the next twelve months, if you want me, I’m willing to help you out here. And I’ll work for free.”
Jason smiled, a devilish look in his eye. Then he added, “Of course, if you think I’m worth more than nothing, you could always just make me a partner, since your dad never got around to it. But as a partner, I won’t work for free.”
Kyle just laughed. Then, reaching for a donut, he offered, “Jason, you’re one of a kind. So tell me about this meeting you had yesterday.”
Jason came out from behind the desk and sat on the leather sofa across from Kyle, who reclaimed his own chair. Jason then proceeded to share with Kyle the details of the meeting at Jagged Edge, concluding with “I called Karen and Merle yesterday afternoon, but I figured I’d rather tell you in person. Merle especially liked the way I painted Sam and Alex into a corner. You should have seen the look on Jack’s face.”
“Well, it sure sounds like you gave some thought to your departure.”
“You might think so. But the thing is, when I drove to work yesterday morning, I didn’t have a clue. I just knew I was going to quit. And when I called the meeting, I suspected the best I could do was give Sam, Alex, and Jack a piece of my mind.
“But once I got started, it was almost like I was speaking in tongues, like someone else was doing the talking. Suddenly, everything fell into place, and I realized that the game Jagged Edge was playing was not only seriously flawed, but it provided me with a unique opportunity, as well.”
Kyle didn’t even act surprised. “You realize, of course, that the power of the Holy Spirit was with you yesterday, don’t you?”
“Of that, I have absolutely no doubt,” replied Jason. “As usual, I have you to thank for that. As I’ve said almost daily for the last eight years, there’s no way I can ever repay you for what you’ve done for me, Kyle.”
/> “I can honestly say that I’ve received as much as I’ve given. We’ve made a great team.”
Jason didn’t like the way that last remark ended. It was like Kyle was already letting the final seconds run off in the last game of the season. He quickly changed the subject.
“So, you mentioned the other day that the San Diego City Planning Commission has asked you to argue your rezoning request before the full Commission next week. I’m not sure I understand. I thought you said that the need for the rezoning was obvious and approval would be automatic. Shouldn’t it just be placed on the Consent Agenda for approval in due course?”
Jason had done a little research on the procedures of the City Planning Commission.
“I would have thought so,” replied Kyle. “But I’m constantly reminded that where the government is concerned, obvious, automatic, and due course don’t seem to apply.” He was clearly frustrated by the need to make an appearance before the Commission.
Kyle continued, “The request certainly seems routine to me. Maybe the Commission just has some questions. Or maybe there’s someone out there who opposes the change for some reason. After all, the business before the Commission is part of the public record.”
“So what are you going to do when you appear?” asked Jason.
“I suspect I’ll just read the letter I sent them, just in case they had any trouble understanding it. Then I’ll answer any questions they have. I can’t imagine that this request is of any real importance to the Commission.”
Suddenly, Kyle had a thought. “Hey, Jason, as long as you don’t have anything else to do, why don’t you help me with this. Even though the attorneys have already reviewed it, I’d like to know what you think. I’d also appreciate your help at the Commission meeting next week.”
“No problem. Love to do it.”
Then, just like that, Kyle turned quiet. It was like someone threw a switch. He stared out the window of his office at the lot full of cars, sun glinting off glass in the early morning sun. Jason knew exactly what was on his friend’s mind.
“Kyle, what are you doing here?”