2013 PCPPP Corporate Retreat

Like many of our nation’s top corporations, Christian and I have a firm commitment to keeping our staff happy. We like to “pay it forward”, as it were, in order to strengthen our working relationships. So, taking cues from many of the top corporate consulting companies, we took it upon ourselves to treat our staff to a retreat, one that would focus on team-building, visioning and branding, and three hour hugging-it-out intimacy experiences. In this post, we set out to reflect on what ended up being quite a day.

Us retreating.  Kind of.

Pat:  So, Christian, now that it’s been a few months since our corporate retreat, would you mind taking a few moments to reflect on what you found most valuable as it relates to the future prospects of our co-blogging venture?

If it helps, I would like to chime in that I LOVED that you drove. It was a generous offer, and it allowed me to not worry about getting really tanked right before we left.

Not Pat (but easily could have been)

Christian: Are you talking about that time I drove you home from 7-11 because those teenagers were harassing you?

Pat:  No, silly! I’m talking about our first ever soon-to-be annual (Right? You promised!) trip into the dangerous and trying mountains of our own Oregon, to challenge ourselves by engaging in team building, limit pushing, horizon expanding, and food eating. We talked about the future of PCPPP--the IPO that we’re looking at for next year, the movie/book option the year after, and the co-memoir after that.

Our ski trip. Remember?

Christian: Oh yeah. I wore a new pair of high performance underwear for that trip. That was our corporate retreat? I remember talking about those things but wasn’t aware that was our official retreat. Where were all of our young attractive interns?

Pat: Yes, that was our retreat! I told you that like three times on the way up. Were you listening?

And didn’t you see all of those other people on the mountain? It was kinda’ hard to see their faces, what with the helmets and ski masks, I guess, but I assumed those were our interns. I was really impressed with how many we have!

Christian: Wow, that is a lot! It’s hard to keep track of how many we have since we are constantly firing and hiring them all the time. But it’s good to know they came too.

So yeah... that was a good ski trip. A lot of quality team implementing and good re-grouping of our go-forward basis and such.

Pat:  Agreed! We didn’t really get to revisit our respective roles at PC-PPP, though, and I was, umm, wondering if we could continue that conversation. You mentioned awhile ago, at one of our many bourbon enhanced meetings, something about stock options or profit sharing as symbolic token of our partnership. I mean, it IS a partnership, right?

‘Cause sometimes it just feels a little bit like I’m Laurel to your Hardy, or Tom to your Jerry, or...I think I’m confusing myself again.

We’re equals, right? That’s what I’m trying to ask.

Christian: I guess it depends on what you mean by equal. If you mean similar but with drastic differences then yes, by all means we are complete and total equals. You’ve got nothing to worry about.

Pat: Yeah...I guess that’s what I mean. But...umm...what are some of those drastic differences? Just so I know where I stand within our organization, y’know.

Which one of these is a more apt illustration of our relationship:

 

Option 1?

--or--

    

Option 2?

Christian: Yes.

Pat: Yes? Ummm…”yes” what, exactly. I don’t want to pester you, but I don’t think you really answered anything. Are we more like Option 1 above, or like Option 2?

And if it’s Option 2, you can just lie and say Option 1. Or you can say Option 2 but with me as the bigger guy. Those are really your only options. Thanks.

Christian: Yes, like I said, the above option.

OK, I think we’ve covered this issue enough, let’s move on. How about our future goals? When are we going to be able to retire with enormous wealth? By Christmas?

Pat: I’m depressed. Sure. By Christmas. That’s fine. I can do that. Or try to, at least. We probably won’t. And it will probably be my fault.

Christian: HOT DOG!!! I can’t wait! It’s going to be the best Christmas ever!!!