Page 6 of Miss Manage

“Everything. Especially those who might find integration more difficult than others.”

I couldn’t tell if she was alluding to John’s “girl boss” comment from this morning or if she was speaking more generally. In fact, I’d originally come to her office to address John’s inappropriate comment, but the layoffs had thrown me off my game.

“Speaking of which, I want to apologize for John’s remark this morning. He’s had a rough time with the demotion and the transition.”

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze steady and unblinking.

“Something tells me this merger and his demotion have very little to do with his views on a woman being the boss.”

I didn’t push back. In tech, women at her level were rare, but that didn’t excuse John’s careless words. “He’s a hard worker,” I offered instead, “and I’ve spoken with him about his attitude.”

Her expression softened but only slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. Talent has value, but respect is nonnegotiable. And frankly, if we’re speaking about layoffs, then those who’d rather not be here should be on the list. I need people who are all in.”

The COO role was built on the principle of making sure the gears of the company turned smoothly and quietly, without unnecessary friction, and ensuring people were always giving their all.

My job was to anticipate problems before they reached her desk, to handle personnel issues, workflows, and systems, so she could focus on steering the larger ship. At least until the ship was mine to captain.

I sank into the visitor’s chair, catching the faint trace of her perfume as I did so. It was floral with an exotic edge. Distracting. As if her looks weren’t enough to sidetrack me, now she smelled incredible, too. I forced myself back to the conversation. “Fire away with your questions.”

“Who are your rising stars?”

“Rhys Mandell,” I answered without hesitation. “Senior manager. Sharp, quick on his feet, and never hesitates to roll up his sleeves with his team.”

I went on and listed a number of other directors and senior managers, painting everyone in a favorable light but not sugarcoating things. Nobody respected a leader who thought everyone was a rock star.

She flipped open Rhys’s bio, scanning with practiced efficiency. “Good. And what about problem employees? Anyone I should know about?”

I pasted on a pacifying smile, not about to start putting people on the chopping block. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

A flicker of irritation passed through her eyes, though her voice stayed cool. “If someone’s a problem, I expect to be informed. This isn’t just about evaluating for layoffs; it’s about morale and ensuring we don’t have any issues.”

I leaned back slightly, studying her. “Because you don’t trust me to deal with it?” My tone was mild despite my annoyance brewing yet again.

“Not unless you give me a reason to distrust you,” she retorted. “What you should know about me is I don’t like surprises. If HR calls me about an issue I haven’t heard about from you first, then you and I will have a problem.”

I held her gaze, recognizing the line she was drawing. She was setting boundaries, as any strong CEO should. And while I respected it, part of me couldn’t help testing the edges.

“Fair enough,” I relented at last, letting a faint smile curve my mouth. “I’m happy to manage up. Maybe we should schedule a weekly meeting.”

“Actually, as we start out and navigate the integration and these impending cuts, I’d like us to meet twice a day,” Charlotte supplied. “Once in the morning to cover priorities, and once in the late afternoon to recap anything I need to know or to pass on to you. Both can be brief, fifteen minutes or so. Then we’ll also schedule a weekly one-hour meeting for strategy.”

“Twice a day?” My brows lifted. At Juniper, I’d been lucky if the CEO carved out an hour a month for me. Most of the time, he forwarded emails, and I handled them without oversight. I didn’t like being micromanaged.

She offered a calm, almost placating smile. “If you need more than fifteen minutes twice a day, I’m happy to carve out extra time. You have a lot to learn about the company and the culture, and I want to ensure you have what you need to succeed.”

She’d purposefully sidestepped my point, bending it into some sort of reassurance as if I were the one nervous about keeping up. Aggravation flickered hot in my chest, though I kept my voice level. “Twice a day will be more than enough. I’m surprised you have time to meet with all your chiefs daily.”

I didn’t need to be checked in on like some rookie climbing the ranks. I was here to run operations, not fill my calendar with needless meetings.

“You are the chief of operations which means we need to be aligned. And since this relationship is new, and I was the previous COO, these meetings are critical to ensure we’re on the same page, and I’ve been effective in knowledge transfer. I have no doubt that in a few weeks we can cut down on the frequency.”

One day, when the office was mine, I’d put an end to this kind of time drain for good.

“I’ll work with Olivia to get on your schedule.”

“Good. And I can’t stress enough that the layoffs are confidential. I’ll have Olivia set up meetings to discuss more in detail.”

I started to sigh, but the truth was Charlotte didn’t know me well enough to gauge my level of integrity any more than I could gauge hers.