I immediately recognized the office of the woman the aliens called Jessica, and was glad that we didn’t have to scale the side of the building again to get there. Jessica was at her desk, snacking on a fingernail as she read over a document on her desk.
“She looks nervous,” I said.
“Nothing gets by you,” said Yewell.
“What’s her deal?”
“You might say that she’s laying it all out on the table.”
“How so?”
“See the document she’s reading?” said Iman.
“Yeah.”
“It’s a collection of her observances about her company, the ways that it has been ineffective, and the ways that it can improve.”
“It’s pretty thick.”
“She’s been here for five years,” said Yewell. “She’s had a bit of time to notice a thing or two.”
“This is her Supreme Ordeal?”
“Like we said, she’s hit the glass ceiling. She’s gotten as far up into the company as she can go by doing her job and doing it well. She hasn’t stepped on toes, and she hasn’t crossed any boundaries. This dissertation though, it calls for a quite a few changes that she fears some may not be ready for. Nevertheless, this is her way of taking her company from good to great.”
“Why is she so nervous about it?”
“Corporate America is still very much of a boy’s club. And you know how boys are.”
“We don’t like to be told what to do.”
“Exactly,” said Iman. “While the Supreme Ordeal always involves stepping out of your comfort zone, sometimes it involves trying to draw people out of theirs, and that’s not always an easy thing to do.”
“And it can sometimes have some fairly precarious repercussions,” added Yewell.
“Then why bother?” I asked. “I mean, she seems to be doing fine. She’s got an office with a view. Based on her clothes, she seems to be making some pretty good bank.”
“Because good enough is not good enough when you’re trying to be great,” Iman said. “Look at the rest of Corporate America and how they are coping with the changing market. They are making strides in green energy and recycling initiatives. They are incorporating new technologies and marketing methods.”
“But they’re also outsourcing and sending jobs overseas,” I said.
“Like we said, the outcome may not always seem heroic, but the initiative is. For Jessica, though she’s played it safe for most of her career, she’s still managed to do quite well for herself. However, she wants more for herself, her company, and her community. Getting more means taking a risk.”
“Whether or not Angeline gets the part is irrelevant,” said Yewell. “The important thing is that she got on the stage. Whether Carter makes it as a blogger doesn’t matter. What matters is that he is putting his skills and talents to use in order to help other people. It doesn’t matter if Adam gets the girl. What matters is that he asked. And whether Jessica’s company integrates these changes or not, she has outlined an astounding plan that someone, whichever company has the foresight to realize her true value, can implement in order to improve upon their operations.”
“So you’re saying that it doesn’t matter if we succeed or not, as long as we try?”
“We’re saying that that as long as you try, you are experiencing success,” said Iman. “The Supreme Ordeal, the entire Hero’s Journey, is for you, each of you. It is for you to reach your highest potential. The world will catch up in its own time. But what is important is that you make the effort and make the best of whatever result you get. What is important is that you continually dedicate yourself to excellence. That will define your success.”
