Kidnapping, Murder, and Management

"Kidnapping, Murder, and Management”

My first kidnapping went rather well; as such matters are patterned on prior experience, and I was very naïve, I am endeavoring to view the experience as part of my graduate education in management. Returning home for lunch, I parked in the basement garage. The attraction of this particular building was the superb view from the ninth-floor corner apartment and the underground parking. The auto was only one year old and stood out among the vintage vehicles used by other graduate students. In retrospect, it occurs to me that while appearances ease the way when dealing with those of similar or greater social stature, to set a style above that which is customary for any place and time clearly produces risk. For one to have the most current vehicle in the parking lot clearly distinguishes the owner and vehicle, making it easier to track, anticipate and approach.

After parking the auto and walking toward the elevator, a finely dressed gentleman walked out of the elevator and in my direction. I distinctly remember focusing on the fine quality of his suit, for it was exceptional for a university campus, and I thought that after graduation, I should dress in much the style of this fellow. These thoughts represented another almost-fatal error in this sequence of events. Unusual circumstances, whether by happenstance or design, are often associated with times of risk. To be weary of the unusual is prudence, not paranoia, and represents a well-balanced view of the potential events existing in any environment. If we believe that man is a purposeful being, then being mindful of the probable purpose of those around yourself and doing business with you is a most reasonable behavior in both business and personal matters.

As our paths bisected, the stranger reached into his coat and produced a chrome-plated revolver. In an instant, the muzzle was pressed into my side. Beyond any question, anticipating the unexpected became another emphasis of my worldview as a result of this incident. Having never experienced violence in a civil setting prior to this, I had come to consider my personal surroundings to be a most civilized environment in which reasonable individuals dwelled. Only now does it occur to me that reasoned individuals may also be involved in criminal enterprises. The extent of my personal ignorance was such that I was completely taken aback and was not prepared to deal with such an imposing individual while unarmed and surprised. Cousin, it is now clear to me that to carry any situation to success without regard to personal safety, it is necessary and even required to have an advantage of much magnitude that direct confrontation is not to be considered a viable approach by your opponent.

When my opponent requested my car, I gladly offered the keys with the hope that car theft was his objective. The reasonable solution was to give him the keys and wish him Godspeed. Again, my failure was to not ascertain a most probable objective. Car theft by armed robbery was not reasonable for what appeared to be such a professionally attired individual. As a management tenet, always questioning whether the original request by a customer, vendor, or competitor is the objective or merely a means to the objective was an important lesson learned. These events have had a more profound impact on my business perspective than any single course I have yet to take at Vanderbilt University. Yet, without the concurring course of my graduate education, I would not have the same appreciation for the very events that have so affected my life.

To create an opportunity is to manage a situation successfully; to be as uncreative as a dullard invites failure at best, and at worst, death. I was not feeling very creative when the gentleman requested that I get into the trunk of the car.