Across the room

Margaret was tired. She had flown in from Miami the night before on the Redeye. Arriving at her hotel room in Buenos Aires around 9:00 am, she showered, changed into her suit and went straight to the office. Coming in from the States, there were not many other choices, besides, this way she was able to spend most of Sunday at home.

The plan was to catch as much sleep as possible in her business class seat and arrive refreshed. The problem was she never had figured out how to sleep on a plane. The man in the seat beside her did not have that problem. As soon as the wheels were up, he reclined his seat, put on his blindfold, covered himself with his blanket and fell asleep.

Margaret wished she had that ability! Instead, she ordered a meal, Salmon on a bed of pilaf, roasted potatoes in Rosemary and had a glass of Chardennay. She then pulled out her briefcase and got caught up on office work. She finally fell into a fitful sleep about two hours before landing.

This led to her being exhausted as th workday began. She knew it would be a long day, so as she dressed herself, she reviewed her schedule. Since she was only in Buenos Aires a couple of days a month, it was packed. She would start off in the office and a meeting with the extended team. Then a review of the top accounts and projects with the managers. Finally, she would go out on client visits with the top prospects. This was always the most interesting part of her trips. She could get to know the local people, get a feel for their culture and learn the unique issues of doing business in this, the third largest economy in Latin America.

Argentina was a country in turmoil. High unemployment and inflation had caused civic unrest. Despite this, many of her clients had visions of a more stable country and wanted her company's help to attain the goal. She made it a point to hire the best in-country talent and bring in the best North Americans to lead the teams. Her team consisted of some of the best consulting talent the United States could produce.

Margaret went to the lobby and was greeted by the Bell Captian.

"Buenos Dias, Senora Margaret" he said. Would you like a taxi or will you walk to the office this morning?"

"Hi, Raul. I think the company is sending a car for me."

A few seconds later, the company's black Ford sedan pulled into the circular drive and Raul opened the door for her. She seated herself in the back seat and they were off.