A Convenient Liaison - Box, Stephen

. .

Résumé :
This book is intended as a social fable discussing two completely different aspects of society - the haves, and the have nots. Clara, having been forced to leave school at 14-years of age to care for her terminally ill mother and younger brother, never finished her schooling, and has nothing and no-one to help her. She scrapes a living at the abusive end of the social spectrum. James has everything he needs, has never needed to care for anyone always having people around him to care for him. He knows Clara from school days, n?vely thinking himself her white knight but to his own ends with scant regard for her dreams. His parents, both successful upper-middle class executives want for nothing in a materialistic world. His mother, a PhD biochemist and Director of a major pharmaceutical company, concentrates on her career as a female craving success. His father is a successful corporate banker but not vying to get to the top. He is the seemingly more lay-back member of the family, but the strength and calm when needed as a single event in the life of Clara brings reality crashing down upon them causing them all to engage in a journey that will transform their lives. I met 'Clara' on a train to Cardiff where, having fought hard to get her voice heard with no formal qualifications, she was finally to be interviewed at a college to study fashion. I was so moved with the despair she had suffered during those 3-years as the carer of her mother with no State support regarding her education and ambitions during or after her mother finally succumbed to her illness. She had sacrificed formative years to care for her mother, and then forgotten; left to fend for herself at the bottom of the social ladder. The reflections expressed in this book of those 3-years are her story. I would hope that this book makes the plight of these children carers more visible as there are many of them.

Biographie:
This book is based on some 35 years of successful executive leadership in one form or another on the international stage with some of the largest banks in the World.Having started my journey to executive leadership at the time the first serious intake of females were attempting to make their claim for recognition, I witnessed why capable candidates failed. The primary failing was not understanding the rules of the game which are mostly gender neutral.Although written to include any gender seeking success, extra layers are added to the process that specifically address unique challenges faced by females. Quality executive leadership, just as in professional sport, is determined on merit, not gender, colour, ethnicity, or religion. Executives earn their place at the table and are required to function as a team each blending their skill set to the benefit of their sponsors. This skill set is a mix of attitude, discipline, knowhow, understanding the rules of the game, and knowing how the game is played.Written as a novel this self-help manual includes the human content which influences performance and prescribes a form of family management techniques developed during my career and proven very successful.