Page 41 of Camping with the Boss

“Um…Canyon? I’ll let you take this one.”

I stand and paste a smile on my face. “Sorry, Carol. I’ll post a sign-up. But people will need to decide the night before, so I know ahead of time.”

“Or you could just be there?—”

“Thank you for the wonderful suggestion, Carol,” I say, utilizing my inner Alex. “I won’t be doing that, but I really appreciate your input.”

Her mouth drops open and lines appear on her forehead as she decides whether I’ve insulted her or not.

“Anyone else?” Ander glances around the room. “No? Then let’s meet in the picnic area in fifteen minutes.”

Ander leads the goal-setting and brainstorming sessions, and by the end, the groups are talking animatedly. He moves from group to group, checking on their progress, stopping to make acomment or give an encouraging word. He doesn’t glower, yell, or swear once. Huh.

He shakes his head at something Al says, a grin on his face as he walks over to me.

“It seems to be going well.”

His gaze moves over the group. “Yeah. They’re all great managers in their own way. Well, George is not really a people person.” He laughs.

“I noticed.”

He looks at me, and it’s like he’s waiting for something. “Wade is on his way back.”

“Great.” I keep my eyes on the group and not Ander, but my heated face probably gives me away. And it helps that, for once, my focus isn’t on my gorgeous boss. Not totally on him. “You’re really good at this.”

“Not as good as Wade. He’s been doing it for a while.”

I’m not sure I agree. They both do well in their own ways. When the groups are done, they report back, and after that, it’s my turn.

I do the Privilege Walk activity. Originally, I wasn’t sure how it would go. While I’d like to make a difference here, my motto from the start aligns with the medical profession. First, Do No Harm.

I have everyone line up side-by-side facing me. “As I read out each Privilege Statement, if you feel it applies to you, take one step forward.”

“If you can walk alone at night without feeling afraid, take one step forward.”

None of the women and all of the guys, except for Ander, step forward. Jared gives him a look, but Ander stares straight ahead. With my new knowledge about Wade and Ander’s upbringing, this makes sense.

“If you’ve never been in a situation where you were the only person of your race or ethnicity in a training or classroom, step forward.” Everyone steps forward except for Jet and Sheila. There are several of these, and it’s daunting to see how far the others get ahead.

And then a gender statement about not ever being denied a job because of gender. The men get farther ahead. I swallow and read the next one. “If you’ve never had to worry about where your next meal comes from, take a step forward.”

Ander doesn’t move, and my heart breaks. I’ve worried about food stability a lot due to not having money. But Ander’s family owns this company. And it makes me want to hurt Meredith even more. Jared flashes Ander a look, and he almost seems hurt. Did he not know?

I quickly go on to the next question about never being made to feel uncomfortable about body size or appearance. Only a few people step forward—Jared, Dillian, and Owen.

It’s not until I’m reading them out that I realize how uncomfortable these questions might be. “If you’ve never had to hide your relationship status or who you love, take one step forward.”

A few of the women don’t step forward. This might relate to their sexuality, but there could also be various other reasons. Dillian and Jet do not step forward and neither does Ander. This is also the first time Jared doesn’t take a step.

I don’t go through all the questions, but I make sure to cover privileges around race, gender, sexuality, income stability, physical and mental disabilities, and religious beliefs. At the end of the activity, everyone looks around.

“This is just a reminder that we don’t always know or eventhinkabout what others are going through. The hurdles they’ve had to overcome in their lives. While some might seem obvious, others aren’t. The best thing you can do is respect yourcoworkers and your employees. Don’t assume you know what they’re going through because you don’t. Sympathy sucks, man. Don’t do it. Empathize with them instead.”

I dismiss the group, and Jared and Ander both approach me. “That was amazing, Canyon,” Jared says. He nods to me and glances at Ander. “It was very enlightening. Powerful.”

As he walks away, Ander shakes his head. “Wow. Jared humble. Never thought I’d see the day. That’s— Great job, Can,” He claps me on the back.

“Thanks.” I feel emotional, but also like I might have done something good. We’re grinning at each other, and someone coughs.

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