Engaged Leadership: Building a Culture to Overcome Employee Disengagement, 2nd Edition

Epilogue

One Year Later

Final Descent

Seth was reclining comfortably when he felt the tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw the flight attendant smiling down at him. He sat up and removed the headset from his ears.

“We're on our final descent into Newark, Mr. Owen,” she said politely. “I need you to raise your seatback and finish your drink. We'll be landing soon.”

“Sorry about that,” Seth responded as he turned off his iPad and closed the cover. “I didn't hear the announcement. These noise-canceling headsets work really well.”

He finished his drink and handed the empty glass to the flight attendant. As she walked away, Seth pulled out his cell phone so he could send a text the moment the plane landed. This was a text he had been looking forward to sending for a year.

On the Ground

Aaron was sitting in the baggage claim area when he got the text: On the ground! He had arrived into the Newark airport an hour earlier than Seth. Rather than taking a cab upon his own arrival, he agreed to wait for Seth so they could ride together. Although they had talked frequently on the telephone and shared numerous e-mails, this was the first time they would see each other face-to-face in a year.

Seth and Aaron had worked together for only a year, but it was a life-changing year for them both. It was Seth's first year in the real working world, and Aaron's first year of being molded for ...