Relationship Engineering

That's just my euphemism for applied pressure, which is my euphemism for operating under extreme duress.  I need to have the upper hand in my dealings with Snob Duben in the worst way.  AcMo can't afford to partner with him if there's any chance he'll try to usurp my authority and steal the company from me again.  In order to keep him in line, I need leverage on him.  And of course I wouldn't be discussing any of this if I didn't have said leverage.  The mechanism I need to exert the correct amount of pressure on his weak point is about to fall into place.

The plan, and we all know what happens when we plan, was to form a covert strategic partnership with Snob Duben's nemesis.  His enmity for this individual would destabilize him and prevent him from operating at full mental potential.  That will tip the balance of power in my favor and help keep him in line.

That was the plan, and all it required was getting in the room with this party over the weekend. My stellar negotiation and obfuscation skills would have handled the rest.  It was a beautiful and simple plan, and it would have worked, but the schedules didn't correspond.  The positive side of this latest failure is that I have had enough advance notice to make an alternate plan.  I am dismayed though because I can't foresee how my new plan can be as effective as the original plan would have been.

Trust is a funny thing.  I know I can trust Snob Duben to do what he feels is best for AcMo.  That was never in dispute.  The problem is that he will do what he feels is best without taking into consideration any evidence that may not support his belief.  What I don't know is whether or not I can trust him to not attack me.  While his severe head trauma has healed, he is still left with memory gaps which sometimes cause him to fly into an uncontrolled rage.  If he realizes that I may have played a small part in his condition, I could be in trouble.  Perhaps we will do all of our meetings on Skype or something.  I don't think he can reach me through the Internet.

Setbacks such as this one are not new for AcMo.  We are adept at altering our tactics, objectives, and even personnel on extreme occasions sometimes even mid-operation.  The ultimate goal never changes, but how we approach it may change by the second.  Despite the fact that Hannibal Smith would disapprove, I often find that the best plan is not having a plan at all.  We flow with the current and seize opportunities as they are presented.  As with all powerful forces, we prevail by wearing down that which we can't outright conquer.

This individual can still be useful as a bargaining tool because Snob Duben doesn't need to know that my covert partnership could not be formed this weekend.  Bluffing may be a better plan than the original because it will require a lot less effort.  I will use Snob's own feelings toward his nemesis against him to persuade him to act right.

Some may question why I would even entertain a new business arrangement with a former partner who burned AcMo to the ground.  There are times when I question that as well.  I have come up with several intelligent and reasoned explanations, but upon further review, none of them withstand the all-knowing gaze of my magic 8-ball.  Part of the problem is that at any given moment I don't know what I'm doing.  I also never know if the action I've taken will have the desired outcome.  Most times it doesn't, but I am banking on the fact that the house can't always win.  That's why I keep doubling down.  The magic 8-ball knows, but it sometimes lies just to mock me, so I can never be sure with that thing.  My crystal ball is more reliable, but it broke when one of the desk engineers tried to use it as a bowling ball and run down Compensation Package.

Since I know Snob Duben and I have some understanding of how he works, I can better protect myself from any nefarious revenge plots he may attempt to concoct.  As it is right now, I know that he is undergoing high temperature fitness training.  This may be for his own health, or he could be planning to invite me to a desert for a meeting because he'll think he will have an advantage there.  He doesn't know that I know about his training, so I will come prepared if he makes the meeting request.

There is a slight chance I've figured this wrong, but I doubt it.  Even when we form strategic partnerships that don't end up working, we always learn something.  Besides always selling, there's nothing more important than always learning.  On those rare days when you can learn and sell, expect magical things to happen.  Consider signing up for an AcMo sponsored seminar about how to release your inner sales guru if you want to take your existence to the next level.  We will be coming to your town, or one near you, soon.*







*I know where you are because we run surveillance metrics on everyone on the Internet using a few tricks I picked up from some friends I met at a conference somewhere.