I laughed. “Yeah. What’s up with that? Even you call him Wolfe.”
“Everyone calls him Wolfe,” he deadpanned.
The door opened, and a man walked out, with Jonathan just behind. When Jonathan saw me, he smiled, his face transforming from serious to gorgeous. “Hey. Give me just a minute.”
I nodded, scanning his figure hungrily. The gray material emphasizing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. How could a man be so handsome? It should be illegal.
When he returned, he placed his hand on the small of my back, ushering me into his office and shutting the door behind us.
“You sure you have time for this?” I asked, still in disbelief. I knew coaching could benefit my clients, give them more time in the long run. But I hadn’t expected a man like Jonathan—CEO of the Wolfe Group, LA’s Businessperson of the Year—to be so eager to work with me.
I briefly wondered if he was just doing it to be nice, but I knew better than that. Jonathan appreciated efficiency and was results-oriented. He wouldn’t waste his time with me unless he believed I could actually help him. And having him on my roster of clients would be huge for attracting new ones.
“Absolutely.” He took a seat, inviting me to join him. “Where do you want to start?”
I resisted the urge to fidget with my bracelets. Though I’d worked with the women at the shelter, none of my clients had ever seemed so…intimidating. Even so, I pressed on. This was my dream job, and he was giving me an opportunity to hone my skills.
He’s just like any other client. I took a deep breath and smiled. “Why don’t we start by talking about what success means to you.”
“Is this how you speak to all your clients?”
I tilted my head to the side, wondering if I’d come across as too formal, unapproachable. I’d been striving for professional, warm, but now I was second-guessing myself. “How’s that?”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “In your sexy, I’m-a-badass-boss-bitch voice?”
I laughed, feeling my cheeks warm. “I wasn’t aware I had a badass-boss-bitch voice.” Though my mind kept coming back to that one word—sexy. Did that mean he thought I was sexy?
“You have no idea how amazing you are,” he rasped. “Which makes you all the more attractive. But one day you’ll realize…and then you’ll be unstoppable.”
My insides warmed from his compliment. “Maybe you should be the life coach because, damn, you give good pep talks.”
“Thank you.” He grinned. “And yes, I completed my homework.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” I smiled, feeling more relaxed, more confident. “What did you learn, if anything?”
“I spend a lot of time doing tasks I hate.”
I nodded. “Good.”
“Good?” he scoffed. “How is that good?”
“We can use that data to make better decisions going forward. We can delegate, delete, or keep the task. And then we can free up more of your time to do the stuff that really matters. Can I see your time audit?”
“Sure.” He leaned over, grabbing his phone from his desk and opening the notes app before handing it to me.
“Okay.” I scrolled through the entries. “I see what you mean.” There was definitely room for improvement. There were a number of things he was doing that he could absolutely delegate. “Why do you think you continue to do these tasks you could easily give to someone else?”
He smoothed a hand down his beard. “I started the business, and I used to doeverythingbecause it was just me. As we’ve expanded and grown, I’ve continued to take on more, without necessarily letting go of other things. I want to make sure we continue to meet, and exceed, the standards our clients have come to expect.”
I’d guessed as much, but I wanted to get to the heart of the issue. Not the surface reason, but the true one.
“Would you be open to off-loading some of the tasks—at least temporarily—as an experiment?”
He bunched his shoulders, and I could see his internal struggle. He had a difficult time relinquishing control, even when he knew it would benefit him.
“Let’s just walk through the steps that would require—hypothetically speaking,” I offered. Sometimes it was easier to relax and be open to the possibilities when you were brainstorming solutions without actually committing to them.
He nodded, then detailed the steps necessary to do so. When he finished, he seemed more at peace. So, I said, “Good. Do that.”
