dixieland_conjunction
If it isn't dixieland, it isn't REAL jazz
“How Cigars Level the Field”
I wrote a while back my history with cigars, girlfriends, and their fathers. I jokingly made the point that acceptance of cigars could be a good predictor of a good, working relationship. I believe I’ve progressed further towards proving that hypothesis correct.
As many know, I’m a very young guy surviving in the harsh corporate environment. I am a Marketing Designer and Technical Editor the commercial technology global business unit (the second largest of four GBUs) of a multi, multi-billion dollar engineering firm. We had our GBU’s business development conference at our Charlotte office. Business development is a fancy term for sales and my title, though functionally correct, is a fancy term for sales support.
The conference consisted of roughly fifty members of our GBU’s sales team (including the support group of which I’m a member) from around the world. I’ve dealt with just about everyone in the room directly over the past year. Many of them have treated me and the support group with respect, but others have been less than civil on numerous occasions.
After the first day of meetings and dinner many folks agreed to convene at the hotel bar. I had some cigars (6 ISOM/3 domestics) with me to give to a few people. I especially wanted to give two of the ISOMs to two of my group members (I work with seven women around the country) that have said they’ve had and liked cigars. When I got there one of those was sitting in a big circle outside the bar. I then realized that everyone there was smoking cigars already except my buddy. I pulled up a chair, gave her a Monte No.4, and fired one up for myself. After about ten minutes I started looking around and realizing the composition of this cigar group. There were fourteen guys, my buddy, and I. Of the fourteen, not one was at my level in corp. They ranged from one to three levels above…..but it didn’t make a damn bit of difference for any of us.
This was great.
Later that night the prom the hotel was hosting adjourned. I was back in the bar drinking my ginger ale chatting with some work folks I’d talked late with the night before. One of the prom dates came in and asked the bartender for a cigar. All they had left after our folks rummaged the humi was $8 Cohibas. He looked disappointed, but proceeded to pull out his wallet with a sad look on his face. I’m sure he’d already spent 7 months allowance taking his girlfriend out that night. Before he could get any further I apologized to bartender, told her I cover her tip, and tossed the kid my last Monte No.4. I explained its origin, authenticity, and lack of cost to him. He didn’t seem to believe I was giving it to him, but I insisted. That guy could not have been happier if I told him I was guaranteeing him a back-seat rendezvous with his girlfriend that night. He introduced himself and his date, thanked me profusely, and left.
The kid left and the guy I was taking with asked if I had any more ISOMs. Of course I do :lookup: I gave him a BBF that he shared with the lady in the group (a good friend and coworker of his until May 1 when she becomes part of my support group). I fired up a Sherpa Dos Capas.
So, my point is I believe I’ll have a better relationship with each of the cigar work crowd. …and that kid will probably have the best story among his buddies even if he didn’t get laid that night
Cheers,
Dixie
I wrote a while back my history with cigars, girlfriends, and their fathers. I jokingly made the point that acceptance of cigars could be a good predictor of a good, working relationship. I believe I’ve progressed further towards proving that hypothesis correct.
As many know, I’m a very young guy surviving in the harsh corporate environment. I am a Marketing Designer and Technical Editor the commercial technology global business unit (the second largest of four GBUs) of a multi, multi-billion dollar engineering firm. We had our GBU’s business development conference at our Charlotte office. Business development is a fancy term for sales and my title, though functionally correct, is a fancy term for sales support.
The conference consisted of roughly fifty members of our GBU’s sales team (including the support group of which I’m a member) from around the world. I’ve dealt with just about everyone in the room directly over the past year. Many of them have treated me and the support group with respect, but others have been less than civil on numerous occasions.
After the first day of meetings and dinner many folks agreed to convene at the hotel bar. I had some cigars (6 ISOM/3 domestics) with me to give to a few people. I especially wanted to give two of the ISOMs to two of my group members (I work with seven women around the country) that have said they’ve had and liked cigars. When I got there one of those was sitting in a big circle outside the bar. I then realized that everyone there was smoking cigars already except my buddy. I pulled up a chair, gave her a Monte No.4, and fired one up for myself. After about ten minutes I started looking around and realizing the composition of this cigar group. There were fourteen guys, my buddy, and I. Of the fourteen, not one was at my level in corp. They ranged from one to three levels above…..but it didn’t make a damn bit of difference for any of us.
This was great.Later that night the prom the hotel was hosting adjourned. I was back in the bar drinking my ginger ale chatting with some work folks I’d talked late with the night before. One of the prom dates came in and asked the bartender for a cigar. All they had left after our folks rummaged the humi was $8 Cohibas. He looked disappointed, but proceeded to pull out his wallet with a sad look on his face. I’m sure he’d already spent 7 months allowance taking his girlfriend out that night. Before he could get any further I apologized to bartender, told her I cover her tip, and tossed the kid my last Monte No.4. I explained its origin, authenticity, and lack of cost to him. He didn’t seem to believe I was giving it to him, but I insisted. That guy could not have been happier if I told him I was guaranteeing him a back-seat rendezvous with his girlfriend that night. He introduced himself and his date, thanked me profusely, and left.
The kid left and the guy I was taking with asked if I had any more ISOMs. Of course I do :lookup:
I gave him a BBF that he shared with the lady in the group (a good friend and coworker of his until May 1 when she becomes part of my support group). I fired up a Sherpa Dos Capas. So, my point is I believe I’ll have a better relationship with each of the cigar work crowd. …and that kid will probably have the best story among his buddies even if he didn’t get laid that night
Cheers,
Dixie
