Page 8 of The Mood Board

“Hi, Bailey,” the woman called back. “Thanks for the brownies. Fred loved them so much I barely had any myself.”

“I’ll send more” came the reply, and the door closing shut off the sound of Gloria’s chuckles.

I watched the older woman cross the office windows back to her desk. “You know he’ll just eat them all again, right?”

“He just had surgery—he deserves it. But maybe I’ll send along more for Gloria because she’s had to care for him.”

Bailey and I both laughed, my amusement ending in a soft smile. Leave it to Bailey to take care of my assistant right along with me when her husband was recovering.

“I have to go,” I told her with reluctance. All I wanted to do was stay on the phone with her and talk all afternoon. “I’ll let you know if I’ll be there for dinner.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I touched the button to end the conversation, feeling a slight letdown as the call disconnected. But another knock on the door interrupted my melancholy.

“Come in,” I called.

The door opened, and a tall woman strode in. She was striking, with long legs, green eyes, and thick, glossy, red hair pulled back from her face. But most prominent was the confidence that marched in with her—it was nearly palpable.

I stood and moved around my desk to meet her halfway, extending my hand for a firm handshake and a gaze that wouldn’t let me look away. The fact that she could nearly look me in the eye didn’t escape me—at 6’4”, there weren’t too many people who could.

“You must be Janelle Moynihan.”

“I am.” The words came with a soft, amused curve to her full, red lips. “And you are Liam Bradford.”

“I am.” I echoed her words, and the amused curve curled farther up. I indicated the chair across the desk from me. “Please, have a seat. Did Gloria get you anything to drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Jenelle waved away the offer, and her green eyes found mine. “I find that I have so much energy to begin with that drinking coffee only keeps me up all night.”

“I’m the same way,” I chuckled, and it was the truth. I had never needed coffee, even for all-night coding sessions. Tom had drunk enough for both of us those nights.

I settled back into my chair, and Janelle dropped into hers. She was relaxed and confident, not a shimmer of nerves apparent. Not even with the knowledge that she was here to interview for the position of chief information officer. I had the distinct feeling that Janelle felt she was doing me a favor by agreeing to the interview instead of the other way around.

Which wasn’t entirely untrue. Her resume was imposing. I might own a billion-dollar company, but it wasn’t at the stature of some of the multinational corporations she had previously worked with.

“So Janelle, I’m going to cut to the chase. We both know why you’re here, and I’ve already read through your resume. What I want to know is, why are you here? Why my company?” Leaning forward, I clasped my hands and held her gaze. She didn’t back down but stared steadily back.

Instead of sitting up straight, she leaned a little farther into her chair, arms relaxed, one leg hooked over the other. “Because I like your company, Mr. Bradford. I like what it stands for, how it’s run, and what it does and stands to do in the world. I’ve worked with many companies over my career, from start-ups to multinational corporations. I like that your company is poised to expand and do great things, but first, we have to get it there.”

I had founded and now owned a billion-dollar tech firm. But we had reached the point where we needed to stay where we were or continue to grow, and we had unanimously decided to reach for growth. Many corners of the world needed our products, and we could do good once we reached them. But we had to have the ability to reach them, and I didn’t have the experience or the knowledge to take it there. Not yet, anyway.

And so we had sent out feelers for a CIO. Tom, our chief technology officer, had been playing the role. But if we were going to grow, he had to focus his time and attention where it fit best, and we needed to hire someone else to help take us international.

“That sounds wonderful, of course, but how do you plan on doing that?”

That slight upturn of her lips turned into a smirk, and for a good reason—she was more than ready for the question. She talked for the next twenty minutes about a digital transformation strategy, her personal brand of data analytics, IoT implementation, UX enhancement, digital strategies for the global market, and rigorous assessments of our current and future capabilities.

By the end, I almost felt like my head was spinning, and it was clear this woman knew far more about informational technology on a global scale than I did. It was difficult to admit, but her answers had me feeling a little inadequate. I was the CEO—shouldn’t I have known all of this?

Then again, that was why we were hiring a CIO. I knew my business, my products, and my company. I had been through everything from raising funds to finding investors to growth spurts to learning to navigate the tricky and stressful industry in which I had made a home.

But I didn’t know as much as I wanted to about going global. And Janelle seemed like just the person to do it. She was even more impressive—and intriguing—in person than her resume had made her out to be. And with her strength, knowledge, and leadership, I saw my company going far.

“Janelle, I have to say, all that sounds incredible. But as you said, we are a small company in terms of global corporations. You are far, far overqualified for this position. I asked you before, but I will ask again—why do you want to be here, exactly?”

For the first time, that amused curve to Janelle’s mouth dropped, and I thought I saw a genuine smile cross her face. “Because, as I said, I like what you do here, Mr. Bradford. Yes, I think your company can be an enormous success globally. But it’s not just about money for you or the people working here, and I greatly admire that. I’ve worked for larger companies who could pay me much more that only cared about the bottom line, no matter who they hurt. But I know that’s not what you or this company are about. I’ve followed your career, and I admire your work.”

The answer caught me off guard. In many circles in the tech world, especially in our little corner of it in and around Silicone Valley, I knew I was known for being too soft, that I cared too much. I had never let that bother me, of course. In fact, I didn’t care at all and continued to do things my way. But to hear that someone admired my work was nice to hear.

It was flattering.

I watched the woman sitting opposite me, ordering my thoughts. But one stood out to me—hiring Janelle Moynihan as CIO was a positive move for the company. In fact, with Janelle helping us out, maybe I could spend more time with Bailey.

Reaching across the desk, I held my hand out to her. “Well, Janelle, if you’re willing to work here, we are happy to have you.”

She shook my hand, sealing her hiring right then and there—minus the actual paperwork, of course. “Then I am happy to be here, Mr. Bradford.”

“Call me Liam.”

“Then I’m happy to be here, Liam.”

And that slow smile curled at her lips again.