Peter Ivanov - Power Teams Beyond Borders

They say their goodbyes and log off. Adam sits back and exhales. He hadn't been aware that he was holding his breath. I'm doing the right thing. I know more about the wind sector than solar. Kaito will come around . He continues with his day but there's a niggling sense of unease settling into his thoughts.

**************

When Adam returns home that evening, he's still mulling over his call with Kaito. He's been thinking about it on and off all day. As he enters the house, he can hear Rose in the kitchen. He slips off his shoes, loosens his tie and walks down the hall. As he enters the kitchen, he's visibly preoccupied.

Rose is dipping a herbal tea bag in a mug of hot water. As she swirls it around trails of deep purple stain the water. Adam looks at what she's making and pulls a face. ‘You don't fancy one of these then?’ Rose asks with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. ‘I honestly don't know how you can drink that stuff,’ Adam replies. He gets himself a glass of water and sits down at the table, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he does so and allowing it to drop onto the table in front of him.

‘How was your day?’ Rose asks, ‘Did you speak to your Japanese colleague?’ Adam looks up at her and pauses. ‘I did,’ he says. Rose eyes him somewhat suspiciously. ‘Do I take it from your tone that the meeting didn't go well?’

‘Well, it wasn't exactly what I'd expected,’ Adam admits. ‘I thought he'd be really excited to get onboard but he kept talking about solar projects and I really want to focus on wind energy, at least initially. It felt like we were going round in circles so I just put my foot down and told him wind was the way to go.’

He pauses. Rose picks up her tea having removed the tea bag and sits next to Adam at the table. ‘Do you think it was wise to just dismiss his views? I thought you said he was an expert,’ she asks.

‘He is, but I mean, it's my company and I have an idea of where I want it to go,’ Adam says, almost with a touch of petulance in his tone.

‘I understand that you're excited about this and, believe me, I am too, and so is Georgia. But Adam, you've worked in oil for the last 20 years. I know that you've had some involvement with wind energy because of what happens locally, but I thought the whole point of this meeting was to get the input of an expert in this space, the renewable energy space?’

Rose waits for a response. Adam's gaze shifts and he looks at his phone. The message light is blinking. ‘Adam, come on, I'm just trying to help. I want you to make this work and I know that's what you want too.’

He looks up at Rose and can see that she's concerned. ‘Well what would you have done?’ he asks.

‘Did you listen to his reasons for wanting to focus on solar energy? Were they valid?’ she asks.

‘I told him I'd do some research and that I'd consider it,’ Adam replies.

‘That's not what I asked…’ Rose shakes her head slightly. Adam looks away again. The message light on his phone is still blinking. ‘Adam, you are going to have to approach this slightly differently to your job at the moment. I know you're used to being able to dictate exactly what happens, but you need to be a bit more collaborative with this venture.’

‘You think I should speak to Kaito again and consider switching to solar instead of wind?’ he asks, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

‘I'm not saying you have to change your opinion, but you should definitely be open to that idea,’ she says. ‘He's an expert in his field and there's a reason why you chose to contact him. That's all I'm saying.’

‘But I said I'd research it and go back to him. I didn't completely dismiss his ideas…’ Adam's voice trails off.

Rose is still looking at him, even though he can't meet her gaze. ‘That's not quite the same thing as listening to him though, is it?’ she asks, not really expecting a response.

Adam sighs, ‘No, I suppose not, but what am I supposed to do? Just do whatever anyone else wants? That's no way to run a business.’ He's starting to raise his voice.

‘That's not what I'm saying either,’ Rose says, in a calm and even tone. ‘You know that's not what I'm saying. Just answer me this, why do you want Kaito to be involved?’

‘Because he knows so much about the renewable space and he's been working in that sector for years,’ Adam answers instantly, adding, ‘And because I trust him, we have a good relationship.’

Rose smiles. ‘There you go then, you know what you need to do.’ She reaches out and squeezes his arm. Adam looks at her. ‘You're doing the right thing and you'll do great things, just remember that you can't do this alone and we all have our strengths.’ She leans in and hugs him. Adam lets out a sigh as his arms tighten around his wife. ‘What would I do without you?’ he asks.

**********

When Adam checks his messages after dinner, he sees that one is from Kaito asking to talk. After his talk with Rose he's feeling much calmer and has realised that he needs Kaito's input. He suggests another call the following day at the same time. To his immense relief, Kaito agrees.

Adam is restless when he goes to bed. He tosses and turns and is constantly woken by the sound of the wind racing through the trees outdoors. The more he focuses on the need to sleep, the harder he finds it to disconnect. He's relieved when he sees the first shafts of sunlight breaking through the gap in the curtains.

Although he's the first out of bed, he's the last one to reach the kitchen for breakfast in the morning. Georgia greets him with a smile and Rose offers him coffee. ‘What do you want for breakfast?’

‘I'm not really hungry,’ Adam replies, sounding slightly distracted. ‘I've got another call with Kaito this morning,’ he adds by way of explanation. Rose smiles, ‘That's great,’ she says. ‘I hope so,’ Adam replies.

‘Who's Kaito?’ Georgia pipes up. ‘He's a guy that I'm hoping to work with on this new venture,’ Adam explains. ‘Cool! Is he an expert in wind energy?’ she asks, beaming. ‘Actually, he's a solar expert,’ Adam responds. ‘You're going to do solar too? That's awesome, there's so much potential for solar energy, especially in places like Africa,’ Georgia says. ‘Well, that's what we're going to talk about today,’ Adam adds. He doesn't want Georgia to get too excited about this just yet.

‘I'd better get going,’ he says, glancing at his watch. He downs the last of his coffee, planting a kiss on Rose's lips as he passes her to put his mug in the sink. He kisses the top of Georgia's head as he leaves the kitchen and for once she doesn't protest. In spite of feeling concerned, Adam is smiling by the time he gets in his car.

***************

Adam has butterflies in his stomach as 10.30 a.m. approaches at work. When he dials into the call with Kaito he's nervous and relieved when Kaito greets him warmly. After his talk with Rose last night he'd been worried that he'd really upset his friend.

‘I just have something I'd like to say,’ Kaito begins. Adam's heart sinks. He's going to say he doesn't want to come in on the venture . ‘I felt as though you didn't really listen to me properly yesterday and I think that's a mistake. There is so much potential in solar energy and I'm well positioned to help you take advantage of that. I'm not dismissing wind energy out of hand, but I really think that solar is the place to start to build a strong foundation…’

Adam cuts in, ‘Kaito, I'm sorry that I seemed so dismissive yesterday. And you're right, I didn't really listen properly. Please can you talk me through your points again? I want to take notes so I can do some research myself.’