Personal and Professional Empowerment 101: The Elevator (P.E.P. Speech)

Written By: Darren Bocksnick © 2009

Prologue:

The Founder/CEO of Umpteen Billion Dollar Investment Firm Inc, Rodney Roothliss was standing there, unmoving. He was quiet, unflinching, fixed and poised like a steel pillar. Surrounded by an entourage of subordinates and body guards, they constantly eyed him as if to somehow warrant his approval or elevate their positions. He never glanced their way nor paid them any mind. The man’s calloused disinterest and rigid demeanor set an uneasy tone in the room and no one dared approach him, especially with a business proposal.

Still, against his better judgment, Carlos Confidencios swallowed hard, straightened his tie and did a once over. Eying his reflection from off the brass-plated columns he determined he was as good as HE would get. After all, he surmised “you can’t make handsome any more handsomier and you can’t make suave any more suavier,” he chuckled, amused at himself.

Calling to mind a quote he liked by some guy named Darren, he felt a waft of encouragement: “If you dress to meet with success, you’ll most likely get the appointment.” If anything, Carlos concluded, the navy blue, pinstriped 130 thread-counts King Twill suit he was wearing; fine tailored by R.Douglas would certainly help make his case, even if the charm didn’t work. As a new consultant, he wanted to land this one. To that end, he had been practicing his approach, memorizing his introduction.

Breathing in the fresh air, or at least it felt like fresh air from his asthma inhaler made him feel refreshed and confident. “Here it goes” Carlos piped, lifting his chin, he took that first step forward. After a few steps, the twenty foot distance to get to where the man was suddenly seemed like a mile. Slowly, steadily Carlos felt his confidence slip as self-consciousness set in. The air thickened, time slowed and it felt like he was walking through primordial soup. Carlos sensed his knees giving out and his breathing became heavy. “Oh no, not an asthma attack, not now!” He quietly “yelled” under his breath.

Leaning up against the marble walls and fighting off the asthmatic fit, he somehow regained his composure. Looking up to make sure Roothliss hadn’t vacated the premises; Carlos was relieved to see him there. The man’s disconcerting scowl depicted annoyance about something.

Catching his breath, he observed and looked for an opening. Realizing there wasn’t much time for another opportunity, the moment had to be now. Roothliss repeatedly pulled back his suit sleeve and eyed his watch. Even from a distance, it was easy to make out the unmistakable gold face- a Rolex. This was it, Carlos thought; time to go.

Approaching the man, Roothliss looked straight up at him, their eyes met; only his were cold. Refusing to be intimidated, Carlos stared back never blinking. The warm smile and respectful approach however, seemed to work. Roothliss’ countenance appeared to lighten up somewhat.

Roothliss was a handshake away when the two burly, black-suited men escorting him stepped in front. Their message was intimidating and clear. “Leave” was all that was spoken. He imagined their eyes were red and bulging from behind those dark Ray Ban’s. “Gentlemen, May I please have two minutes with Mr. Roothliss?” Before they could answer the obvious, he sensed their eyes watching his every move as he pulled back his sleeve and started the stop watch, “starting now”. Eyeing each other, they hesitated for a moment, apparently mulling it over. Then the superior agent nodded approvingly to the other and before he knew it, Carlos was in front of Roothliss. This is MY chance was all Carlos could think.

Not sure what to expect, he gathered his thoughts but no words would come. The sight of Roothliss staring him down with those eagle eyes brought little comfort; it made him feel like the prey and Roothliss looked ready to pounce! Whatever he came to say, he knew it had to be now because Roothliss was about to have him dismissed with an armed guard.

“You haven’t reached your full potential yet.” Carlos finally spoke.

Roothliss furrowed his brow “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“With your company, you haven’t yet achieved the kind of success available to you.”

Roothliss laughed aloud, his entourage following suit: “Kid, are you crazy, do you know how much I’m worth and the kind of stock invested in my company? Get your facts straight next time”.

“That’s not the kind of success I’m talking about Mr. Roothliss”.

“Well, quit wasting my time; what are you talking about?”

“The kind of success I’m talking about Mr. Roothliss is confidence in knowing that your legacy and the company you’ve sacrificed to build is ready to carry on, should something ever happen to you.”

“Well, I believe it is. I’ve got insurance, accountants, and attorneys to make sure I’m on track. Besides that’s none of your business anyhow”.

“With all due respect Mr. Roothliss, of course they’re going to make sure you’re on track; you pay them well!”

Chuckling, Roothliss agreed: “well you’re right about that. I pay them way above the grade for their services. Well, what is it that you do?” This is it, he thought. All that practice was about to pay off, or at least he hoped it would.

“You might call me a business plumber. I fix all the leaks that are draining your profits and plug up all the loopholes that are trickling away your efficiency. I make sure the waters of revenue and assets are flowing freely within your organization and are staying in-house rather than seeping outside these walls due to any holes in your operation. My name is Carlos Confidencios; I’m the owner of C.C. Consultants and I’d like to have the opportunity to plug those profit leaks and fix any loopholes in your organization.” Carlos smiled, knowing he had gotten the man’s attention.

Roothliss smiled back. “Well, I’ll hand you one for originality young man. What was that your, what do they call it: Elevator Speech?”

“Well, yes Mr. Roothliss it’s been called that. I like to refer to it as my P.E.P. Speech or my Personal Empowerment Pitch”.

Roothliss nodded his head, obviously approving and impressed. “I like you, I’m not sure we could use your services but I tell you what, I’ll give you a chance to show me what you can do nonetheless. Stop by the front desk of my building on Thursday, 1pm sharp. My secretary will confirm your appointment.”

“Mr. Roothliss, I assure you it will not be a waste of your time. Thank you.”

At that, Mr. Roothliss’ limousine arrived, driven by a very apologetic chauffer who was blaming his tardiness on the traffic. The two armed body guards looked Carlos’ way and nodded- an unspoken understanding between them. Then, they got in the car after Mr. Roothliss. Carlos watched them drive away, relieved and relishing the moment.

Walking away, he clinched his fist as if he had just scored the knockout punch. Though his excitement level was up, way up, it was only then he realized his Asthma had finally subsided. Passing by a brass pillar, he noticed his reflection: “Carlos, you can’t get any cooler than that”, as he adjusted his tie.

Suddenly, all the pride and ego dissipated in an instant: Carlos saw IT: A lovely, bright green piece of lettuce stuck between his two front teeth from the salad he’d eaten earlier. “How could I miss that?” Shaking his head, he picked at his teeth to remove the blemish. No sooner had he removed it, the horror of something worst came to his attention: he had left his zipper wide-open. “No, I didn’t” was all Carlos could say. Frustrated, he wondered how he ever got that interview with Roothliss. “It must have been my P.E.P. speech. That had to be it…”