9:00pm, and finally on the way home, after a tension-filled day at the office, sweating over presentation content, story spin, accuracy of figures, and above all, the all important Key Takeaway.

After a lot of discussion, consensus building, and PowerPoint revisions, I managed to get the story right, only to have it retold by my superiors in the face of the Almighty One. And lo and behold, it wound up sounding like the story I originally wanted to tell. Oh well, so long as it’s told…

Three hour meeting behind us, we segue to a local Japanese establishment for drinks and dinner. My boss is stuck in calls, and so asks me to escort his boss to the venue to make sure he gets there and has someone to speak with and keep him company. Turns out it’s a great opportunity to speak uninterrupted with the big guy. The questions I would have normally refrained from asking in the presence of others just come out naturally as we stroll in the rain, just two people trying to get out of the bad weather and to somewhere dry. With no prying eyes, or no one to overhear, it’s a great opportunity to explore what he’s really thinking. The occasional wrong turns I take just prolong the session and make it that much more worthwhile.

In the end, I learned a lot about my boss, and my boss’s boss today; and I got a free dinner and drinks to boot! Not bad, I think to myself when it’s all over and I settle into the seat for the train ride back home.

On the train I notice a big American guy on the bench opposite me, with his backpack curled up in his arms and his head pulled back, lulled to sleep by the music pumping out of the buds plugged into his ears. He’s dressed in a button down blue shirt and grey slacks. Looks like he’s been here for a while too…