Throw the Keys on the Table

““Tom,” I said quietly, “I was afraid you were going to say that. I’ve got every knob in this company turned down as tight as they’ll go.” Then my voice started to get louder. “We’ve got people working sixty-hour weeks and getting paid for thirty. We’re working overtime to just get over this hump. And that’s all it is—a hump. dWe can get over it.” I sounded like a gambler with a hot tip. “But if you do this now, it will kill us,” I continued. “It’ll so demoralize everyone. I just can’t continue to run the company if you’re going to do that!” “And so if *you* think *you* can extract this little bit more juice out of the company… here’s the keys to everything.” I pulled my ring of office keys out of my front pants pocket and threw it down on the table in my office. “You run it and let me know how you make out.””

“I had pulled the keys out for effect, but the truth was I was dead serious. I also knew that all banks dread having to seize a customer’s business, because they know nothing about running any business; they’ll just screw it up. They know only money.”