MY MOM...THE C.E.O.???

Sunday, October 10. 2010

Okay, I don’t have all of the facts but something astounding seems to have occurred back home, and it appears that Kell is actually C.E.O. of Herd Thinners, Inc. I know, I know, it sounds ludicrous. I just got a text from her that she simultaneously sent to me, Dad, Rudy, Elanor and Ralph: IM CEO. It took a me a while to figure out that it wasn’t some acronym or leet-speak that I wasn’t aware of.
I’m trying to piece together the events which of course began when Frank Mangle asked Kell to meet him at an all-canine restaurant where no one would be able to speak feline. In that language he laid out his plan to challenge R.L. Basically, he needed to know if any other predators would come to R.L.’s defense during a battle.
At one time, that would’ve been Kell herself, and I’m sure she hesitated. However, her loyalty to R.L. was forever broken back when he fired her (which led her to work for Aby for a time) and while she was rehired she has never completely trusted him. If Kell wasn’t his ally, then he had none at all which apparently suited him. After all, he’s never had a problem defeating challenges before.
I can only speculate what happened. Mr. Mangle turned out to be a much tougher adversary than R.L. expected, or perhaps age has finally caught up with R.L. At any rate, the fight was evenly matched, and both parties suffered serious, perhaps life-threatening injuries. Knowing Kell, she would have intervened at that point to stop it.
The Herd Thinners, Inc. rules of boardroom succession are clear: Once a battle is joined, anyone can enter. Winner is the last one standing. That would have been Kell.
Now what?

Posted by Lindesfarne at 10:39 | Comments (69) | Trackbacks (0)

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Being the new CEO of Herd Thinners she can make any changes in the firm that suit her.

A better helth plan, fairer sharing of the kill & even a fund to children Herd Thinner employees to College.

I wonder how much money RL has saved up. He may have to either move to a smaller house or start renting out some of the extra bedrooms.

Question. How many bedrooms does his home have in it?;-)

#1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-10 11:08 (Reply)

no she can't even the CEO can't change the rule that prevents management from hunting. it's written in the corporate laws and contract

#1.1 e_voyager on 2010-10-10 12:12 (Reply)

Restrictive changes don't suit her. All the changes she would want to change would be "traditions," whose change or removal would help others, which would only be opposed by the "benificiaries" of said traditions, and not pre-existing rules.

#1.1.1 Jamie Gray on 2010-10-12 03:52 (Reply)

Aye, bet let's not forget Angelique, and his 20 or so skunk children! Some of which, may soon be coming into the "my own space" phase.

#1.2 MC on 2010-10-10 12:39 (Reply)

What should be interesting is how Kell's own ethics change HerdThinners.

Except for Kell and Frank, the rest of HT has been portrayed as a rung above jackals.

#2 Mitch on 2010-10-10 11:34 (Reply)

Hey now, I'm sure even Jackals have higher standards than RL

#2.1 Icalasari on 2010-10-10 16:56 (Reply)

Agreed. Jackals and Hyenas might have better ethics than standard HT.

#2.1.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-11 01:57 (Reply)

See Digger and Freefall webcomics for verification.

#2.1.1.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-15 18:53 (Reply)

I sure that was an entrusting fight, are there videos already on youtube?

As for your mom being the CEO, I don't know if your family should be proud or worried but changes are going to happen just make sure your family is ready for them.

#3 lastone1376 on 2010-10-10 11:57 (Reply)

One thing is for sure. Being the CEO of Herd Thinner is going to be a full time job. Kell will be lucky if she has any time for hunting.

#3.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-10 13:41 (Reply)

Their are a few questions that need to be adressed about the takeover.

Will RL still be a part of Herd thinners or will he retire?

Will Angelique still be part of H.T. now that RL is no longer in charge?

The big question. Will Kell now get the same executive pay that RL was getting?

With that she could send Coney to college plus help Rudy & Fiona when the time & give Lindesfarne help with her masters degree.

#3.2 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-10 16:29 (Reply)

Congrats to Kell! Great news! Had I known about all this, I would have been cheering for Frank (for obvious reasons), but - yay Kell! I hope she doesn't get too overwhelmed in the role!

#4 Ken D. Lion on 2010-10-10 12:23 (Reply)

I give her six months, tops, before she steps down from the position. It may be less than a month.

#5 Classic Steve (Link) on 2010-10-10 12:40 (Reply)

The once and present CEO of HT.
You do recall that time trip to the prehistory time?

While RL is a very tough wolf, in our world wolf vs lion means dead wolf. And lion vs any less than 25 hyenas means dead hyenas and living lion. It is amazing that they were so evenly matched.

Well technically she could have both of their flanks for dinner. But one change was to have a defacto non-lethal sick leave policy. And they are or were her sorta friends.

This should rock the world for a while. We will watch with interest.
'Otter

#6 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-10 13:59 (Reply)

I doubt that about the 25 hyenas versus one lion. Having seen the ferocity of a pack of near-starving hyenas hunting (oh to be on the savannah at the end of the dry season), hyenas are quite capable of running off solitary lions when they are in packs of just four or five - not to mention being able to put off even a pride of lionesses in greater numbers. So while lions are mighty, they also aren't superhuman - or superfeline, rather.

#6.1 Sara Starling on 2010-10-10 17:53 (Reply)

I can not find the video that stated that 20:1 was not enough for a guaranteed successful attack, but I will keep trying.

#6.1.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-12 10:58 (Reply)

That presumes a large difference in size. Any wildcat (pound for pound about equal to a lion) would only have a moderate natural edge against a wolf weighing the same.

RL has a lot of experience to counter Frank's ferocity.

#6.2 Jamie Gray on 2010-10-12 04:02 (Reply)

And oddly for a field pred, Frank was a bit winded by his own roar.
I would have expected the more desk bound RL to be the weaker.

Well anyway hope the surgeons put them back together well and proper.

And Leona and Angelique have not been notified. What is the proper way to do this? Examples: Leona, you dad lost the HT takeover fight. Leona, your dad will live. Leona go to the hospital now as your dad needs you.
Or what would you say?
And Angelique will be another whole chapter, as react is just the start of the mess she can make.
'Otter

#6.2.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-13 04:27 (Reply)

It's one surprise after another with your family, isn't it?

I would offer congratulations, though I know that your mother didn't intend to take over Herd Thinners. While I'm sure she could do a good job, but I'm not sure she would like the responsibilities.

Considering the circumstances, I can think of one solution, at least temporarily: Have her promote Frank to her Executive Assistant. He should be able to help her during the rough spots.

#7 Patch O'Black on 2010-10-10 14:02 (Reply)

If memory serves me correctly, Kell's favorite part of her job is hunting.

Is the Herd Thinners C.E.O. allowed to hunt?

#8 Matthew Henry on 2010-10-10 14:49 (Reply)

Tell her to beware of rats, especially those who were once rabbits. I believe Angelique is going to mount a challenge once she learns the news, and she will have a very capable second with a very distinguished background.

There's just one person who can stop that fight.

What would happen if a fight for CEO were to stop with multiple people left standing?

#9 Ava Greenwing on 2010-10-10 15:19 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, your stepmom is awesome! Though this outcome is a surprise to everyone, it's great to see how Kell's parental instincts---not to mention her compassion, bravery, and common sense---can help her advance in her carer. As a woman in computer science, which is a very male-dominated field where I live, I can really respect a woman surviving and thriving in what also appears to be a male-dominated field.

#10 Prof. Davis on 2010-10-10 15:45 (Reply)

well -- I see 3 outcomes.

1) (not likely) Both RL and Frank are out the door.

2) (also not likely) Both RL and Frank are demoted to staff predators again and have to work their way back in.

3) (seems more likely to me) if RL decides it's time to retire (and I think he spent some time a while ago building his retirement plan up), then the optimum thing to do is name him something Emeritus and rehire him as a consultant to Kell for 6-12 months so he can braindump anything useful she needs to know, and he can figure out what he wants to do with his new free time. (Maybe he can do his Iron Rabbit stuff for a while.) Frank might be useful as Chief Operating Officer (COO) under Kell, with a big salary raise so he can send his daughter to college.

That's my guess, and I'm sticking to it.

#11 GreatScott on 2010-10-10 16:04 (Reply)

I agree with 3. RL may retire rather then work under the woman who defeated him. Frank is another matter. Kell would keep him on as an (coo) at a high salary so he can send his daughter college.

Its angelique that I would be worryed about. She is not one to take losing gracefully. she will either challenge Kell of leave H.T. rather then workj under kell. A big assumption of bullies is that they will be treated the same way by the ones they mistreated.

#11.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-10 18:17 (Reply)

A surprising turn of events, indeed - probably the best outcome one could have hoped for...... 7@=e

However, I cannot see Kell choosing to stay in that office indefinitely. Assuming RL and Frank are not mortally wounded, I would suggest a generous retirement package for the one, and reassignment to an upper-management position for the other (perhaps with disability benefits?).

Her next move would be (I hope) to reform the succession process - something more (ahem!) civilized; then she could be able to step down while keeping her hide intact.......

The best of luck to your family! 7@=e

#12 Lucius Appaloosius on 2010-10-10 20:03 (Reply)

Congrats to Kell, Lindesfarne, though I imagine she feels like she's taken on quite a lot.

What happens next, I don't know. But I can only see this as good news for Herd Thinners and it's workers.

#13 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2010-10-10 20:26 (Reply)

I've seen this coming for a while. I was surprised Kell didn't get the position when RL got lost in the wild a while ago. RL should have been building alliances if he really wanted to keep the CEO job. Kell probably has an edge with the younger workers joining Heard Thinners thanks to her helping the Caliban hunting team, and the fact that Rudy is her the team co-captain and son; as an example, has Rhonda (who helped Coney learn to hunt) thought about getting a job at Herd Thinners?

A growing number of businesses on this side of the portal are being run by women, like Rose Trellis of Fastrack Inc. I'm sure Kell could have a long career as CEO of Herd Thinners once she finds a replacement for Angelique.

#14 Pat M on 2010-10-11 00:15 (Reply)

Congrats to your mom, and it will be a safe bet that the media will be the first to hear about this from everyone' fleas and parasites.

#15 Ainoko on 2010-10-11 00:27 (Reply)

With fleas & parasites who can talk must make it hard to keep a secret. Those working in high security areas must have to take a flea dip every time they enter a secure area.

Will Kell & the family coutinue to live where they are or will they move into a bigger house?

#15.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-11 10:37 (Reply)

you get a no kill situation where the fleas take the same oath and sign the same papers as you. In turn they are spared the bath-kill.

#15.1.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-16 01:25 (Reply)

What happens if the new CEO comes out of the closet as being domesticated?

Fur will fly...

#16 Mitch on 2010-10-11 15:12 (Reply)

She could reveal the fact that the former CEO was domesticated...and that Angelique is a rat in name only (well, personality as well).

Knowing Kell, she will come up with a solution that will suit her.

#16.1 Stray on 2010-10-11 19:11 (Reply)

I think Kell has the integrity and the skill to succeed without narking on others. She could have used those tidbits of information before she became CEO to her own advantages (extortion or blackmail), yet she never did.

People who are inherently bad tend to dig their own graves without others to dig for them.

#16.1.1 Ashley on 2010-10-11 21:12 (Reply)

You forgot something. When RL when missing & Angelique was in charge she replace most it not all the staff with ones who are domesticated.

With that in mind Kell has nothing to worry about.

#16.2 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-11 21:16 (Reply)

Oops! of course Kell didn't devour the losers; think of all the calories they contain. That would be the only downside to her becoming Herdthinners CEO.

#17 Pat M. on 2010-10-11 17:09 (Reply)

Congrats to Kell, though I can see this is a big shock to her. She obviously didn't count on becoming the new CEO; she simply wanted to act as a humane & sensible person and stop the fight.
And very belated wedding congratulations to you, Lindesfarne. I've had some big upheavals in my own life this past summer and unfortunately I wasn't able to follow things here in your world for a while.
I hope everything works out for the best for Kell and your family. Good luck, and keep a sharp eye & nose on that Angelique.

#18 Taff Keepstream on 2010-10-11 18:03 (Reply)

I just hope Frank doesn't take the result the wrong way initially. He should know by now Kell just means best.

#19 Mereneth A. Wolf on 2010-10-11 20:58 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, your mother is now in a dangerous position, moreso than she was in the field as a staff predator. Now she has to watch out for other predators that might want to usurp her position. I know she is a tough woman, but she did just break up and win a mighty battle. Is there a grace period for the victor to heal and assume office before a new challenge can be issued for dominance?

#20 Ashley on 2010-10-12 00:23 (Reply)

Man, Kell looked like she got hit by a bus. Must have been one heck of a fight!

#21 Senator Cato on 2010-10-12 00:40 (Reply)

Congrats to your mom, but I don't think she wants the burden of running a company. Kell likes to hunt, and have some time for her family. Running a big company like HerdThinners is going to take up too much of her time.

I'm betting she creates some better ground rules for the company, and gives credit where credit is due..with raises, promotions, and a general housecleaning (which means to put Angelique in her place, which is OUT of Herdthinners entirely. )

#22 MerriMagic on 2010-10-12 02:15 (Reply)

Wow...this could be just the change of leadership Herd Thinners, and corporations in general, need. I mean...an ethical CEO?

...Wait. Doesn't that make Kell an endangered species now?

Still, in any case, best wishes to R.L. and Mr. Mangle on a quick and full recovery, if only for their family's sake. (Especially Leona...bad enough losing one parent, don't imagine she'd be too thrilled with losing both.)

#23 Wilren on 2010-10-12 02:41 (Reply)

Does this mean we might actually see more of RL than just his jaws? I have this mental image of a puny wolf cub with a deformed mouth...

#24 Bob on 2010-10-12 12:06 (Reply)

Remember when R.L. was dating Angelique.

They showed R.L.'s full body.

OK his head was covered with a paper bag but you still saw his body.

#24.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-12 12:35 (Reply)

Congrats to kell!
It´s my first time writing here and i'm so happy with the way things gone. Ya know, it´s a chance that she can do some changes in there, and therefore, if she can't addapt with being ceo, she always can give the charge to another one, don't she?
Things to think:
-angelique will need a help, and so, kell won´t say no. But she's dangerous.
-RL won´t stay quiet about what happened. Does he'll need to work his way up to become part of the staff to have the right to take ceo back? And Frank?
-Can Kell addapt things to her way and give ceo to another hunter? Like Frank? Or maybe changing the way H.T. Inc. works? (Group of people instead of one as ceo)

Thinking about this is making my head hurts. @_@

#25 Puu (Link) on 2010-10-12 16:13 (Reply)

What you are thinking about is a board. A group of people who run a company. The head of the board is called a chairperson. He/She makes sure the meeting runs smoothly.

In this case Kell would be that person.

#25.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-12 19:36 (Reply)

No, what i was thinking is about a group WITHOUT a head. Like, hm, some politics in my country. Everyone can express his opinions, everyone votes, the best wins.
Well, but in that case, hm, it´s a inc, so i think that won´t work. It isn´t something like a "ong".

#25.1.1 Puu on 2010-10-15 11:01 (Reply)

Welcome!
Where are you from?
Old Prof. Otter

#25.2 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-13 23:20 (Reply)

People have got to stop thinking of Herd Thinners as a food company, and start thinking of them as a logistics company. It doesn't matter how the meat got on the plate, the attitudes of the predators involved, or who''s in charge, only that it was done within the letter of the law and is profitable.

In that vein, consider how any domestication-related instincts might help, rather than harm, the company. (I'm not saying your mom's domesticated, Lindesfarne, just mentioning it.)

Domestic dogs are herders, and logistics has often been compared to herding cats. (Why people would want to do that is a matter for another post.) A naturally herding-related mindset would be invaluable to a company made of lone wolves, top dogs, and people who want the lion's share.

Consider how, in the human world computer-related companies hire people with Asperger's Syndrome to do math and computer programming. People with AS, like me, are born without social instincts, and in the bad old days were targeted as the runts of the litter. However, we can do incredible things for companies willing to invest their time and money in our work.

#26 BlueNight on 2010-10-12 19:53 (Reply)

See Speed of Dark for something similar for autistics.
http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dark-Elizabeth-Moon/dp/0345481399

#26.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-13 18:10 (Reply)

ah, Bluenight, a new ally.
i would totally agree with you on our behalf, but in the life of the Dewclaws, they have yet to mention any form of the autisum spectrum but they have mentioned distrackia found in Rudy, and this is very strange mostly because Kevin runs a computer type company, i wish that our type of people would be introduced to the storyline, eather by old character or new, I would love to see some diverse forms of mind.
and please, place your votes now on who you think will be in the spectrum, is it in the Dewclaw family or related, or is it just a friend, or is it a new person all together, and in that case, what type of animal, or will they even show one at all, lets hear the results...

#26.2 mysterious newbie on 2010-10-18 15:41 (Reply)

In some ways, and I think this is partly what BlueNight was getting at, domestication in K&K is similar to some forms autism in our world. In fact, I might even say that domestication is a kind of inverse autism. Both are conditions, the causes of which are not fully understood but which are at least partly genetic, which can negatively effect a person's ability to function in society. In our world, autisim-spectrum disorders limit social skills and in some cases can make interacting with or even acknowledging other people difficult or painful; in their world, domestication increases the desire to interact with others but impairs the ability to correctly interpret others' motives (sometimes leading to dangerous levels of trust and loyalty toward individuals perceived to be in positions of authority) and sometimes produces compulsions that can be embarrassing or dangerous, such as the overwhelming desire to chase thrown objects. Both autism and domestication can produce unique approaches to problem solving that can be more effective than the more "usual" mode of thought - where an autistic person might be hired because their disconnection from other people makes them more effective in fields that deal with numbers and concrete logic, a domesticated person might be more effective dealing with groups of people because their inborn tendency to trust and cooperate with others makes them better able to understand the dynamics of multiple species working together.

This isn't to say that autism as we are familiar with it is never found in the world of Kevin and Kell, but with the way their society works, autism (the milder forms, at least) may not be as disadvantageous or visible as in our world. After all, a human displaying many of the symptoms of domestication would probably not be considered to be mentally ill in our society.

#26.2.1 Bramble on 2010-10-19 01:56 (Reply)

that may be the case, but in our human world, austism also begs a high brain function, and domesticated animals in their world are not, and people in the human world already see us as a mentally ill populance beside the fact of being smarter than them, their form of IQ mesurment on a basic (random group of people) level indulges on social communication not smarts.

#26.2.1.1 mysterious newbie on 2010-10-19 07:52 (Reply)

Awesome!

Kell in charge!

Now, RL and Mr. Mangle will be asked, "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Big Bad Wolf? Big Bad Wolf?"

#27 Muddypaws on 2010-10-13 03:38 (Reply)

You realy think Kell is the BIG BAD WOLF.

If she was neither of them would be alive today.

Unlike others Kell cares about the ones she works with.

#27.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-13 20:31 (Reply)

Well, she is a descendant of the Big Bad, IIRC.
'Otter

#27.1.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-14 08:30 (Reply)

That may be so but I don't think Kell takjes after him. Will she may be a hunter she is not a mean person by nature.

If she was she would have let RL & Frank die instead of having them rushed to the hospital.

#27.1.1.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-14 17:29 (Reply)

For a change in subject. In todays tweet from Catherine Aura she said she was PREGNANT.

I wonder how Nigel will feel about having a baby brother or sister.

#28 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-13 17:05 (Reply)

Or whatever she births/hatches.

#28.1 Old Prof. Otter on 2010-10-13 23:27 (Reply)

I hope it's a girl!
Think Pink!

I also hope it's human... because a certain former human transformed into a rabbit who has a HUMAN son on Lindesfarne's side of the portal lucked out.

In our world, where Ms. Aura currently resides, a woman giving birth to a vulture (or laying an egg as the case may be) would not be so warmly welcomed.

#28.1.1 Ashley on 2010-10-14 00:13 (Reply)

I think if she was going to lay an egg it would have come out by now.

#28.1.1.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-14 09:55 (Reply)

With all the family and such moving in and out im betting that R.L. is going to move in with Kell somehow... or he's going to give up the ghost and go away forever!

#29 peter on 2010-10-14 13:05 (Reply)

Ok, I'm not surprised that RL knows feline. I'm more shocked that any cat would want to TEACH RL feline

#30 Icalasari on 2010-10-15 01:17 (Reply)

Its only natural that RL would learn FELINE. After all a good part of his hunting staff is made up of felines.

As to who would teach him. Anyone can be bribed. He may have even learned it in his youth.

#30.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-15 16:53 (Reply)

And then.. there's Kell's "OH Crap!" look at hearing from RL that he too can speak Feline.

(Ho.. boy!)

#31 Muddypaws on 2010-10-15 01:32 (Reply)

I think RL must have learned feline on the sly so he could understand what the cats are saying behind his back.

No wonder he was not suprised when Frank challenged him for his office as CEO of Herd Thinners.

What may have supriced him was Kell jumping in to keep them from killing each other.

#31.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-15 09:57 (Reply)

If RL knew about Frank all the time, then why didn't he do something?

My best guess is he was hoping Kell would step forward to tip him off, then he'd have justification to promote her. He might then have had some angle for blocking Frank without evisceration.

I think we've got a good example of irony going here. By acting as ethically as she could, Kell wound up advancing herself at the expense of RL and Frank.

#32 Mitch on 2010-10-15 09:08 (Reply)

RL admited he knew Gator, Bear & every species that worked for Herd Thinners. It was part of being an EFFECTIVE leader.

If he diid not know them he would not lasted as long as he did.

My guess is he deciced it was time to retire. He wanted to go out in a way he could use the retirement acount he saved up.

I have one question. The house RL, Angelique & their 20 kids live in. Does it belong to RL or to herd Thinners? A lot of times CEO of big companies will live in homes owned by the company as a tgax break. They pay a fee to the company to live in the house.

#32.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-16 07:26 (Reply)

R.L. is actually ACCEPTING of Kell being the CEO? To me that's the biggest surprise! .. it also makes it less likely she'll step down... maybe?

#33 Teonnyn on 2010-10-16 13:54 (Reply)

That depends on Kell. We all know she lives for the hunt. When she was a field supervisor she was kept from hunting.

I think she will find a way to hunt will she is CEO of Herd Thinners. She could do so by claiming to set an example that just because she is CEO that does not mean she can't hunt.

I think sshe will also start action groups to promote the planting of grass lands & other things that Herbivores feed on.

#33.1 STEVEN BRAMS on 2010-10-16 22:25 (Reply)

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