Author's Note: This story is a work of fiction and is based primarily on the fictional country of Nordland, a small island nation in the North Sea between the UK, Norway, and Denmark. All characters, events, and places described in this narrative are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All comments and feedback are welcomed.
HF
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Anna Bergman's heels clicked on the tiled floor as she strode down the corridor of the Nordland parliament building with Knut Rasmussen, the Nordland Minister for Energy and the Environment. They had just emerged from a parliamentary expenditure review meeting where she, as the CEO, had presented the recent performance of the North Sea Oil and Gas Corporation to the committee. Knut's advisors fell back to allow the two of them to discuss the outcomes of the meeting together in private as they headed for his office.
"The projections are sound," Anna said as they entered his office. The blonde-haired woman in her late 40s watched as the older man moved around his desk and gingerly eased himself into his seat. She'd noticed he had fidgeted in his seat during the committee meeting and wondered if he had injured himself in some way.
"I know that...you know that...now we need to convince the committee of that..." he replied, slowly leaning back in his chair as she sat down opposite him.
She sighed. "Ok...I'll get my team to work up a new presentation pack for them...it's a waste of time though, the numbers are solid..."
"I know they are..." Knut replied. "You're doing good work over there at the Corporation, but you've got to remember, the committee is looking for savings wherever they can find them."
"Yes, but you don't take it from one of the few government businesses that's actually profitable...our return on the government's investment in us was over 22% last financial year," she said with a shake of her head. Knut regarded her with a measured look. He could see she was tired; it had been a long year. Now he needed to do what his mistress had commanded him to do and plant the seeds of an idea in her mind.
"You look tired, Anna," Knut said with a sympathetic little smile. She looked at him and gave him a little smile in return. "I'm feeling it...it's been hectic over the past couple of months...I've got a good team at the Corporation but there's so much going on...I feel like I've run a marathon this year."
He gave her a little shrug. "Maybe you have...you do have a good team over there...I was impressed with the deal you pulled off in the Congo recently. I read your report on it. It seems you have a good strategic initiatives director over there."
Anna smiled again. "Astrid, yes...she's fantastic. I wish I had a dozen more like her," she said as she took a deep breath. "I think she's got a good future in the industry. We should do more to keep her engaged, otherwise she'll be poached by someone else." Anna had certainly taken a liking to Astrid over the past several years, advancing her career and supporting her progress through the Corporation.
Knut nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps we need to start introducing her to some of the other members of the government, broaden her profile...can't hurt her career down the track." Anna nodded in agreement as Knut paused. "But then there's you, Anna..."
"Me?" she replied, a touch surprised. "What about me?"
"You're tired...I can see it...and if I can see it, then others can see it too. Are you taking any time for yourself?" he asked.
"Oskar and I have been planning a holiday...but getting our calendars to align has been...challenging," she told Knut. Oskar was Anna's husband, the CEO of one of Nordland's major marine engineering firms. His work often took him away from home for long periods of time. "Then there's Elsa...we've promised her a holiday, but we don't want to interrupt her university studies," she said, referring to her daughter who was currently studying chemical engineering at the University of Nordland.
"Maybe you can do something in the meantime, something to focus on your own health and well-being," he told her. "Do you exercise, yoga, anything like that?"
Anna gave a little laugh. "I wish...I used to do yoga...haven't had the time for months now." She shook her head. "Probably more like years..."
Knut smiled again. "Listen, it's important in my role to have some balance, otherwise we get burnt out." He picked up a pen and notepad. "Listen, here's a service that I use...they're very good...discrete...used to working with senior leaders who are time poor. You don't need to go to a gym, they come to you, whenever you can fit it in," he said as he wrote a name and number on the piece of paper. Tearing it from the pad, he proffered it to her. "Go on, trust me...it'll make a big difference in your life."
Anna hesitated for a moment and then took the piece of paper. "Ok, I'll give them a call...maybe try them out..."