Taking a bite out of the Big Apple

And some things are changing…

“Mr. Miller,,, my name is Vita C, and I am personal assistant to Mr. D.L.”

“It’s nice to talk to you, Ms. C, thank you for calling.”

“Oh, please, Mr. Miller, call me Vita!”

“Certainly, thanks, and call me Allan.” (That felt strange to say!)

“Mr. L would like for me to help with travel arrangements to New York next week, does the 27th still work for you?”

I’ve been told a little bit about Vita and I can’t resist:

“Oh…” I say, fishing “ …. is that still on?”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Miller… Mr. and Mrs. Chief are very much looking forward to meeting with you again.” “I’m not supposed to say this but he’s said he wishes you’d move up two weeks ago!” We laugh and I make mental notes. (I have been meeting with Mr. L for nearly two months, since he first called after reviewing my resume given to him by a mutual friend.)

There can be no auto-pilot for this trip. My radar is up and fully functional and searching the airwaves for any discrepancy, any awkward or sideways glance; anything that might tip me off to this being a bad move. In the past two months there have been none.

Fast forward: “… here are the travel times and so I’ll send you the itinerary by e-mail and you’ll be on your way.” “If there’s anything else I can do for you in the mean time please don’t hesitate to call.”

“I won’t, Vita, thanks for all your help.”

Now,,, getting out of this house for anything other than making music has become just about as strategic in its planning as the Israelites leaving Egypt – let alone, an exodus for a job interview. (I’m just going to assume for the sake of brevity that most people reading know the ‘house’ I’m talking about.) So, out I sneak early Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. in order to catch a 9:00 a.m. flight.

(Incidentally, the plane flies right over my neighborhood giving me a bird's eye view of The House. As well, I am able to note the absence of my housekeeper's vehicle this morning, leaving her to wonder yet again on Monday how on EARTH I know she was late ;)



I am retrieved in ‘grand style’ by one of The Chief's drivers and carried directly downtown to meet with Mr. and Mrs. L. As I am standing outside of the vehicle in front of the high-rise building, watching the sun duck below the Manhattan skyline, I notice the chauffeur and the doorman exchanging knowing banter; an insider's shorthand of sorts. All of us in private service do it so I am not alarmed. I have no interest in what they are saying and yet I know exactly what they are saying, and have to laugh a little to myself.

While in NY one my first unofficial duties is to tour each local property, meet the staff, assess service styles and needs and to also, upon initial “look-see” in Mr. L’s vernacular, attempt to discern if there is anything we can do to bring the ‘back of the house’ up to par with regard to Service Flow; (which is another way of addressing whether or not the work environment is “set up in such a way as to make service delivery functional”) Not that there is anything wrong necessarily, but perhaps there are some things that could be done better. And so this doesn’t concern 'the people’ so much as it does the tools necessary to do their jobs.

Still standing in the street, I look down at my feet to notice my bag is now gone and for a brief second the thought runs through my mind (seriously): “Wholly Crap! I’ve been in NY for FIVE Minutes… and already I’ve been Robbed!” Now about the same time I also notice down the inside of the front hall of the building that the friendly doorman has already ported the bag down to the elevator. These guys are Good!

Mr. and Mrs. L are friendly and gracious without even a hint that they are pressed for time in having to make an evening event. But this has already been discussed and I am fully aware, and will be leaving shortly anyway to begin visiting the properties and meeting staff. I am told by Mr. and Mrs. L that I am free to use any verbiage I choose to reassure each staff member that no one’s job is in jeopardy and that I am operating in a much different capacity than the on-site people.

My tour of the properties is not really for reasons the Chiefs imagine, although it’s still an important part of the process. My true goal in these visits is to glean from staff just what the potential for overall success might be.

I’m pretty sure I ‘get it’ when it comes to reviewing a job, for the most part. I have been doing this a long time and worked with many different personalities and service styles. I also know full well most principals can act circles around ANY Oscar winning performer on their best day, and at any phase of their career. And so I’m hoping to be able to tell by interacting with the current insiders as to whether or not this thing is actually do-able.

And it is – hands down.

Having come to the realization that there is NO such thing as The Fantasy Position, I no longer kid myself on this. But if there is such a thing as a viable fantasy in this line of work it is the “Fantasy Salary” – and this one is it. I don’t mind most of the B.S. and the weird work schedule so long as the principals are reasonably easy to get along with – but at this point in the game I’d still like to be properly compensated for what I bring to the table. Bottom line is… if I basically like being around them I no longer mind the hours, as this is no longer about The Fantasy Position for me. My focus is now all about using the dollars I earn to create the fantasy investment portfolio.

And I am now satisfied that this is the one.


Out of two month’s banter and glad-handing, the talk of salary and other compensation for a position of this scope is what most people would consider unnaturally brief:

The Chief: “What’ll it take?”

Me: “It’ll take X.”

The Chief: “Done.”

And that’s it.

At this level, that’s the way it’s always been though. Two gentlemen shake hands and it’s done. (Barring mental or physical disaster, of course, but that’s a story for different time.)

“Just put it into an e-mail with some of the other things we’ve discussed and send it on to me and that’ll be fine.” “If you would though, call me tomorrow morning and just touch base and let me know what your impressions are. I really don’t think we’ll need to meet again unless you feel it’s necessary… and other than that you can be on your way.”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Chief, it was very nice to see you again.”

“Likewise, Allan, we’re really glad to have you on board.” However, it is the tone of the exchange which conveys this to me more than the words. This is a good thing.

It’s been a tough recent three months and I am tired. I am looking forward to moving and beginning something I've been working toward for a long time. I am looking forward to plunking money down on some investment property. I am looking forward to the time when I can sleep in on Saturday morning if I so choose, or travel on weekends if I like. I am looking forward to cooking for myself again and having friends over…. But most of all I am just looking forward.