The Doctor Is In

The banquet staff finishing the setup was the only sign of life in the meeting room when Jay arrived. When Dr. Patrick Perkins came through the door, this time in a shinier pair of cowboy boots, Jay approached him to modify the comments he had made the prior evening. As he walked up to the anointed “One Minute Negotiator,” Dr. Pat cheerfully said, “Well, mornin’, Mr. Jay Baxter. It looks like we are the early arrivals.” Shaking hands, Jay began an explanation of his admitted learning reluctance from the prior evening.

Dr. Pat did not even allow him time to finish. “Don’t concern yourself with the comments you shared last night. I probably should’ve let you know who I was, but I generally like to remain, shall we say, incognito, the evening before a session to get a read on people’s attitudes as they approach the workshop. You’ll see this morning that I start the meeting with a question to each of you concerning what you want out of this opportunity. Far and away the most honest answer I ever got was when one guy said, ‘Me! Most of all I just want me out of this workshop.’” They both had a good laugh at that one. Dr. Pat told Jay to grab a good seat, and with that Jay put his materials on the table in the very front row.