The group had agreed to meet on Saturday to process what they had learned and to consider their options.
As Clint's friends arrived, he was discouraged. He knew there were other places to work, but he had been underwhelmed by his first visit.
As soon as the four were seated, Clint said, “I hope you guys had more luck than I did.”
Each member of the group shared his or her own experience. The caliber of leadership and the lack of engagement were recurring themes with Alex's experience as a clear outlier.
“It sounds like there are a lot of crappy jobs out there,” Clint said.
“I agree, but we don't have to take them,” Olivia said.
“We don't?” Tyler said.
“No, we can work where they meet our demands,” Olivia said.
“Sounds good. What are our demands?” Alex asked.
“I'm not sure, but we are bright, talented, energetic, and available. We should be able to find someone who will give us what we want,” Olivia insisted.
“I'll ask the question again: what do we want?” Alex said.
“We want to buy a well,” Tyler said.
“Yes, Tyler, but we want more than that,” Clint suggested.
“We do?” Tyler was confused.
“Yes, we do,” Olivia added.
“Give me an example,” Alex said.
“Okay,” Olivia sat silent for a moment with a determined look on her face. “I don't want to work for a crummy boss. I've heard my dad talk about how difficult that is. He says as hard as he works, he realizes the leader is not only the lid on his career—she is the lid on the entire organization. That is so sad to me—for the people, the leader, and the company.” She paused again. “I want a Better Boss.”
“Me, too!” Clint said. “Better than what I've seen thus far.”
At dinner that evening, Clint shared with his family. “It is really amazing. We've only visited a few of the places on our list, but what has blown me away is how casual some of these people are regarding hiring.
“What I don't think they realize is that we have a part in this decision. When we were talking today about what we wanted in a job, Olivia called them ‘our demands.’ I wouldn't go that far, but I would call them expectations.”
“Very interesting,” Blake said as he was immediately transported to his challenge in the war for talent.
“Clint, what are your expectations?”
“We're working to answer that question ourselves. For now, all we know is that we want a Better Boss than the ones we've met thus far. When we figure it out, I'll let you know.”