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Restructuring and Resurgence
After Randal was taken by Capital Edge, Excel faced a leadership void.
"Losing Randal is a very big deal. He has our secret sauce, knows our
process and protocol, and knows the strengths and weaknesses of every Excel
member," said Josh. Brian demonstrated a quiet confidence and stepped up to
the plate as PM for the new task: To design a parade float for Sony
Pictures' new movie, Zathura.
Meanwhile, Capital Edge vowed to leave the boardroom battles and
factionalism behind and start over with a clean slate. Jennifer M. assumed
the role of project manager, hoping to break the cycle of defeat, which had
previously driven Capital Edge to the boardroom three times out of four.
Loose Lips Sink Floats
Taking their cues from Zathura director Jon Favreau, both
corporations figured to make the obscure name of the flick prominent on
their floats. The men of Excel set about re-creating the world of the sci-fi
board game that zaps a couple of boys into a deep-space adventure. To
reinforce the unusual title of the film, Excel printed the name in large
type on every side of the float and incorporated an audio loop of the
movie's title, so onlookers would hear the pronunciation of Zathura.
In the course of the task, Brian became painfully aware of one difficult to
manage candidate: "Markus is a huge pain in the ass. You have to keep him on
a short leash." To rein Markus in, Brian assigned him the task of ordering
takeout Chinese food. Josh, frustrated by Markus's avoidance of manual labor
during the task, told him, "I'm tired of carrying your water, bro."
Capital Edge had their own disruptive force: Kristi. Jennifer M. took Kristi
aside and told her that she came off as bossy and that everybody was getting
tired of her constant negative interruptions. True to form, Kristi
interrupted her. Randal, new to Capital Edge, noted that, "There seemed to
be a lack of respect among the team members." Kristi's insubordination may
have clouded Jennifer M.'s focus. The end result was that the Zathura
branding on Capital Edge's float was weak and the corporation grew
disorganized as the deadline loomed. Worst of all, Jennifer M. repeatedly
mispronounced the film's title as "Zenthura" during the presentation.
Crawling from the Rubble
Excel was worried about Brian's overly talky presentation. "We thought Brian
had been injected with Markus fluid," said Josh. But Capital Edge's failure
to display "Zathura" prominently on their float had been a far more serious
flub, and earned them a trip to the boardroom.
For Excel's reward, the men won a trip to the recording studio to write a
song with Grammy winning musician, Wyclef Jean. Stitching together a hip-hop
tapestry from Excel's musical talents and voices, Wyclef showcased the mad
rap skills of Brian, who had been nicknamed "Rubble" by Josh. Sample lyric:
"Ladies, if you see us in the club, freakin', join in. He's the Rubble Man."
But the ladies were in no mood to party, preoccupied as they were with the
rubble of Capital Edge, scheduled to crumble even further in the boardroom.
Blonde Ambitions: Dark Days for
Capital Edge
When Capital Edge's Zathura float sunk in a stormy sea of backtalk,
bad blood and shabby management, it put former blonde-posse pals Jennifer M.
and Kristi on a boardroom collision course. Jennifer M. was the first to
hear it from Carolyn: "You wanted to be project manager, this was your
chance to step up and you blew it. You missed every criterion of this task."
Jennifer M. admitted making mistakes but swiftly shifted gears --and shifted
blame. "Kristi couldn't be managed," Jennifer M. said. "She needs to be
fired because she's negative, she whines and complains constantly." Most of
Capital Edge agreed that Kristi was contentious and bossy, though when Trump
called Kristi tough, Jennifer M. immediately deflected any potential
positive aspect of her rival: "She's bad tough." In the end, Trump agreed:
"Jennifer, I'm going to give you another chance. Kristi, you're fired."
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