No one's met the guy who owns the company
Secreted away in some distant high-rise, he doesn't drop by
A ghoul from another universe who speaks a foreign language
Rumor has it he hunts animals and sticks the heads on a wall

Does the guy care about what you're trying to accomplish?
(not really)
Does he comprehend what your business actually does?
(doubtful)
What qualifies him to run the show?
(other peoples' money)
The black cowboy boots with the expensive suit were a hint that something's wrong

This guy is the fourth in the last ten years
To hand your company off to another new guy
Likes johns discarding a prostitute
When her looks and energy start to fade

Where does he see the company in ten years?
He doesn't
He's here for three years tops
Before selling your software company to the jokers running Toys-R-Us

His absence is filled by a cadre of hand-picked "professionals"
Motivation tips from 7 Habits, picked up in the airport kiosk
Nannies for you and the people on your team
Like affluent parents, no genuine relationship with the children

What does heaping debt have to do with running a business?
(nothing)
What does owning a sports team contribute to other endeavors?
(a swing and a miss)
What is Private Equity Guy contributing to the quality of your lives?
(nothing)
What will be lost when he embarks on a debt-fueled descent into bankruptcy?
(absolutely nothing, except your job)

Trust displaced by fear
Mechanics in place of leadership
Everyone watching their own backs
The ship sinking fast

---

Thomas Sullivan's writing has appeared in Word Riot, 3AM Magazine, and Memoir, among others. His memoir of teaching drivers education (titled Life In The Slow Lane) is forthcoming from Uncial Press in February, 2010. To read more of Thomas' writing please visit http://editred.com/tmpsull.