easy but he knew it was the right decision. Even though
Tom was one of his most talented people, which is why
he had put up with Tom for so long, it had to be done
and the team would be better off for it. Personally George
felt like a 200 pound weight had been lifted off his shoul-
ders. He felt strong and free. Looking at the rock one
more time before putting it into his pocket, he thought of
Joy and smiled. For the first time in a long time he was
proud of himself.
George’s plan for the three wolves included Joy’s rec-
ommendation of simply isolating them from the team
since they didn’t want to be on the bus. But when
Michael walked into his office with guns blazing telling
George that he was crazy for firing Tom and that this
surely meant the bus was going up in flames and so was
George, he had no other choice but to tell Michael it was
this bus’s way or the highway. Michael, too proud to suc-
cumb and too angry to retreat, quit and decided he
would get on another bus traveling on another road. That
makes two, George thought.
After the fireworks show George had experienced this
morning he wondered what else could be next. He didn’t
like conflict, fighting, or yelling. He certainly didn’t like fir-
ing people or losing two members of his team. But he had
vowed to stay strong and true to his vision. It was either
this or failure. He was ready for battle with Jamie and José
but truly hoped they wouldn’t have to exchange blows.
When George told Jamie she was either on his bus or
off it, she agreed to be on it but then hit him, not with
85
George Takes Control of His Bus