For the first five minutes I had no idea what anybody was talking about. I could vaguely recognize a couple of Lederman voices. But otherwise I couldn’t make out anything. I just sat there and listened to two three fellows talk about ‘vesting dates’ and ‘back-dating strategies’. (No idea.) And then someone wanted to know the key differences between incentive, put and non-qualified options.

Initially I thought it was best to keep my mouth shut unless someone asked something specific about LLTLF. What is the point in butting in if I have no idea what the topic is and what value I can add to the discussion. This, of course, is one of Jackson Leavenworth Dufresne’s original set of ‘Rules of Engagement for Consultants’: If you don’t know, don’t talk.

For 15 minutes I didn’t say a word. And then I began to sense that the meeting was loosing steam and going to end. Unless I spoke up and added some value right away, they would wrap up the call without anyone even being aware that Robin Varghese had participated. Obviously this could not be allowed at any cost.

Someone said something about adequate incentives for leaders in the organization.

BINGO! CHICKEN 65 IN FRONT OF AN ALSATIAN!

Immediately I sensed an opening. It is not for nothing that I did a research paper on ‘Leadership in times of crisis’ for Human Resources II and topped the entire batch (in terms of word count).

I jumped in like a leopard (a leadership leopard) and spoke very eloquently about the need for strong leadership in an organization. I gave a wonderful analogy about how a company is in many ways like a human body. All the organs are vital and play an important role. Remove any one of them and things begin to fall apart. Yet the brain is the most crucial. Which is why strong leadership is vital in an organization. Otherwise, I pointed out with tremendous gravity in my voice, an organization will become like a coma patient. Do you want Lederman to become like a coma patient? I asked.

Nobody said anything.

‘NO!’ I boomed into the phone.

There was pin-drop silence after that. The only noise I could hear was my own heart beating. (I get carried away by these emotions sometimes. I am like that Diary.)

Then someone asked who I was and how anything I said could have added value to the Compensation sub-committee meeting. I quickly told them that I was Alex the intern, apologized for dialling into the wrong conference call and cut the phone.

Who knows if the IT guys have a way of tracing internal phone calls to the device.