Chúng tôi chấp nhận và ngồi lại với nhau. Nó nhanh chóng trở nên rõ ràng rằng ông biết tất cả về tôi và về công việc của tôi. Đó là bằng nhau rõ ràng rằng ông không có ý định chia sẻ nhiều về công việc của mình. "Chúng ta hãy điểm," ông nói khi chúng tôi ra lệnh cho các loại bia thứ hai của chúng tôi. | SWEC was one of the world s premier engineering and construction companies and it was trying to forge a place for itself in the changing environment of the energy industry. My contact explained that I would report to their new subsidiary an independent energydevelopment branch modeled after companies like my own IPS. I was relieved to learn that I would not be asked to get involved in any international or EHM-type projects. In fact he told me I would not be expected to do very much at all. I was one of the few people who had founded and managed a successful independent energy company and I had an excellent reputation in the industry. SWEC s primary interest was to use my resume and to include me on its list of advisers which was legal and was consistent with standard industry practices. The offer was especially attractive to me because due to a number of circumstances I was considering selling IPS. The idea of joining the SWEC stable and receiving a spectacular retainer was welcome. The day he hired me the CEO of SWEC took me out to a private lunch. We chatted informally for some time and as we did so I realized that a side of me was eager to get back into the consulting business to leave behind the responsibilities of running a complicated energy company of being responsible for over a hundred people when we were constructing a facility and of dealing with all the liabilities associated with building and operating power plants. I had already envisioned how I would spend the substantial retainer I knew he was about to offer me. I had decided to use it among other things to create a nonprofit organization. Over dessert my host brought up the subject of the one book I had already published The Stress-Free Habit. He told me he had heard wonderful things about it. Then he looked me squarely in the eye. Do you intend to write any more books he asked. My stomach tightened. Suddenly I understood what this was all about. I did not hesitate. No I said. I don t intend to try
