I say, "Mr. di Palermo, if I work for you, I will give you my best effort. I will demand best effort from those who work for me. I will expect that you will consider my input, in the area of my specialty."
Mr. di Palermo asks, "What sort of people do you like to work with?"
I say, "Mr. di Palermo, I like to work with skilled people. If I work with computer programmers, I know who is skilled to a level that I can afford to pay for. If I work with techs, my techs know who is skilled to a level that I can afford to pay for. I have no concern as to skin color, religion, or national origin. That said, if I can't understand what an applicant is saying, it's next applicant! Many of the projects that I will work on require a government security clearance. No ability to get a security clearance, no job offer. If I interview an applicant who won't work with others of skin color, religion, or national origin, they can find somewhere else to be a bigot. Early on, I worked with a woman who, to my untrained eye, was dressed like the other women. The other women took her into a women's restroom and, at least verbally, beat up on her. I then demonstrated my intelligence, by keeping my male mouth shut."
Mr. di Palermo laughs and says, "I once had a man who worked for me, who truly understood women. He lied to me about other things as well."
I say, "Mr. di Palermo, if I work for you, I will always tell you what I think the truth is."
Mr. di Palermo looks hard at me and says, "I have a man who sometimes takes good customers or government guys to Nudie Cuties. The competition does it, we have to do it, as well. Do you have a problem with that?"
I say, "Mr. di Palermo, I am aware of the Nudie Cuties situation. As far as I know, every sizable operation in this town has, on staff, a Nudie Cuties pimp type guy. If I have to use a Nudie Cuties pimp type guy, I will judge him on value received, as I would judge any other employee."
Mr. di Palermo looks hard at me and asks, "If I hire you, what will you say to the Aardvark Computing company management?"
I say, "Mr. di Palermo, if you hire me, I will cite to the Aardvark Computing company management, a new job offer too good for me to pass up. I will be sorry to leave the Aardvark Computing company, but I must think of my career."
Mr. di Palermo looks hard at me and asks, "Will you work for me as Project Manager of the aircraft tracking system, at Project Manager wages?"
I lecture, "I will work for you, as Project Manager of the aircraft tracking system, if I can get at Personnel, to let me interview the Aardvark Computing aircraft tracking system techs. And if I can get at Contracts to start the transfer of software from the government software library and hardware from the Aardvark Computing company. I will work within your management structure, but only I personally know the outside people that have to be dealt with."
Mr. di Palermo laughs and says, "Welcome aboard Project Manager!"
Mr. di Palermo gets up and we shake hands.
Chapter 4: A Transfer
I exit my meeting with Piero di Palermo and rejoin Amadea.
Amadea smiles at me and says, I can tell that you are now, a Lozenge Corporation man. Where does that leave us?"
I say, "Amadea, you are not a computer programmer. I am not a lady in the top levels of local society. If I tell you how it has to be done software or hardware. That's how it has to be done, because I know software and my techs know hardware. If you tell me how it has to be done socially, that's how it has to be done."
Amadea digests what I have just said. She then says, "You need to learn how to dance the tarantella, to fit in socially here."