Lola Badiola - Chapter 2 - 51st Floor PDF

KEY VOCABULARY ============== 1. Discard -- porzucić He felt like someone who had been discarded for a better option. 2. Rainmaker -- osoba, która przynosi firmie sukcesy Lola was known as a rainmaker because her team always met their targets. 3. Anticipation -- przewidywanie Lola had antic...

KEY VOCABULARY ============== 1. Discard -- porzucić He felt like someone who had been discarded for a better option. 2. Rainmaker -- osoba, która przynosi firmie sukcesy Lola was known as a rainmaker because her team always met their targets. 3. Anticipation -- przewidywanie Lola had anticipated all of Luis's objections. 4. Turn back -- zawrócić Lola realized there was no turning back from her decision. 5. Detached -- zdystansowany Luis seemed emotionally detached when he returned. 6. Opulent -- wystawny Lola entered an opulent room filled with antique furniture. 7. To beat the budget -- przekroczyć budżet Her team managed to beat the budget every year. 8. Consecutively -- kolejno They hit their targets for four years consecutively. 9. To go beyond the target -- przekroczyć cel Lola\'s team often went beyond the company\'s targets. 10. We\'ve been through so much -- Przeszliśmy przez tak wiele We\'ve been through so much together as a team. 11. A last resort -- ostateczność He used emotional arguments as a last resort. 12. Resolute -- zdecydowany Lola was patient and resolute in her decision. 13. Anticipation -- oczekiwanie, przewidywanie The anticipation of the meeting made her nervous. 14. Adjoining meeting room -- przylegający pokój do spotkań Luis stepped into the adjoining meeting room to make a call. 15. To verbalize -- werbalizować, wyrazić, wypowiedzieć Lola verbalized her feelings clearly during the discussion. 16. No turning point -- nie ma już wyjścia There was no turning point once Lola made her decision. 17. Burn your boats -- spalić za sobą mosty By leaving the company, Lola felt like she was burning her boats. 18. Emotionally detached -- emocjonalnie zdystansowany Luis seemed emotionally detached during their last conversation. 19. Palatial reception -- pałacowa recepcja The palatial reception on the 51st floor felt like a five-star hotel. 20. Oak door -- dębowe drzwi He knocked on the heavy oak door before leaving Lola alone. 21. Elaborate gilt -- ozdobne złocenie The paintings were framed in elaborate gilt. 22. Vintage whisky -- whisky rocznikowa (stara) The sideboard had crystal glasses and vintage whisky. SCRIPT -- CHAPTER 2 =================== Luis took a moment to process the news. He was shocked and upset, like a faithful long-term lover who has just been discarded for an exciting alternative. Lola was a rainmaker. Her team had beaten their budget for the last four years consecutively, often going beyond the company\'s stretch targets. Without her, the whole division\'s financial plans would be almost impossible to fulfil. Why? I need a change, Luis. A new challenge. Where are you going? It\'s a small tech startup. You won\'t have heard of it. Louis motioned for Lola to sit down in his office. Then, as Concha had predicted, he did everything in his power to convince her to stay. He started with the logical arguments. 90% of startups fail in the first two years. When she didn\'t let up, he moved on to the emotional arguments. We\'ve been through so much together. We\'re like a family. As a last resort, he ended with the moral arguments. How can you do this to me after all I\'ve done for you? Lola was patient and resolute. She had learned that one of the key attributes of a successful salesperson was the anticipation of objections to a proposal. She had created a mind map of all the possible scenarios for this discussion. If he says X, I will respond with Y. She had filled a dozen sides of A4 paper with notes and spent most of the week practicing her lines. Wait here, said Luis, as he realized he was getting nowhere. I need to go and have my daily call with senior management, but I\'ll be right back. He went into the adjoining meeting room and dialled into a conference call. Lola could see everything, but she couldn\'t hear anything due to the soundproofing. It gave her a moment to reflect on the course she was taking. As was often the case, the expectation of a difficult conversation was more unpleasant than the conversation itself. In verbalizing her thoughts and desires, Lola fully accepted that she was doing the right thing. There was no turning back now. She was burning her boats. After about 20 minutes, Luis returned to his office. His attitude had changed. He was distant, as if emotionally detached from the situation. He no longer looked Lola in the eyes. Okay. Follow me. We\'re going up to the 51st floor. In her seven years at the company, Lola had never been to the 51st floor. It was where the company had its board meetings and entertained VIPs. It was strictly for senior managers only. Even Luis looked a little nervous as the elevator doors opened and the two of them walked out into a palatial reception. It felt like a five-star hotel with double-height ceilings, baroque artwork and panoramic views of Madrid. Luis led Lola along a corridor past the company\'s boardroom until they reached an old oak door. He knocked on the door and then turned to Lola. Good luck. You\'ll need it. Then he walked away. The oak door opened and a smart middle aged lady invited her in. This way, please. Lola walked into an opulent study filled with antique furniture, old books and Persian rugs. On the walls were oil paintings of hunting scenes framed in elaborate gilt. In the corner, there was a sideboard replete with crystal glasses and vintage whisky. Would you like a drink? No, thank you. The lady smiled politely and then walked out of the study. Lola was left on her own. The silence was deafening. It was a room that absorbed all the ambient noise, like a music recording studio or a padded cell in a lunatic asylum. She wandered over to the bookshelves, keen to distract herself and ran her fingers across the shiny, leather bound volumes. They appeared to be unopened there for decoration rather than education. One of the oil paintings caught her attention. It was strikingly similar to a landscape by Diego Velazquez that she had seen in the Museo del Prado. She examined the picture closely. The composition, the lighting and brushwork all suggested the hand of a great master. Was it possible she was looking at an original piece by one of Spain\'s greatest artists? Good morning, Lola. The voice from behind her was deep and resonant, shocking her out of her reverie. She spun around to see Mario Ruiz de Blasio at the entrance of the study. He was strikingly handsome, his silver hair slicked back, his green eyes glinting in the late morning light. Lola was momentarily lost for words. Please take a seat. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ==================== What do you think Luis could have done differently to convince Lola to stay? Lola had prepared thoroughly for this conversation. How important is preparation when discussing important decisions? What emotions do you think Lola and Luis experienced during their conversation, and how did these emotions influence their actions? How do you think the environment of the 51st floor and the palatial reception affected Lola's emotions and decision? If you were in Lola\'s position, would you take the risk of joining a startup, or would you stay in a stable company? Why? Luis tried different strategies to persuade Lola. Which approach do you think is most effective in situations like this: logical, emotional, or moral arguments?