Therefore, the key to the product lies in the final assembly, and what the factory leaders supervise the most is also this final assembly section. Whenever a military product task is assigned, the factory leaders always take turns prowling around the final assembly workshop like coyotes for several rounds.

Henry Faulkner happens to be the direct leading cadre responsible for the military product final assembly, one of the three team leaders, and the most important one. Therefore, he has the most opportunities and time to interact with the factory leaders.

However, Henry Faulkner is rather proud and upright, unable to tolerate certain things and unwilling to do them. So, after more than ten years, although he is already the actual core of the final assembly workshop, he has never learned the tricks of flattery and bootlicking, and remains just a team leader.

But not standing out also has its advantages. During the Cultural Revolution, those who liked to show off were the ones most likely to get into trouble, especially those who lacked prestige but clung to power. Henry Faulkner saw all this and kept it in mind. He naturally understood the glory of standing out, but was also deeply wary of the risks that came with power.

The current director of the final assembly workshop, Charles Brooks, is already forty-five years old. According to the usual practice in military enterprises, he should basically be stepping down to a secondary position. So the main factory intends to select a new director from among the grassroots cadres of the workshop to take over this big responsibility.

The director of the final assembly workshop is somewhat different from other workshop directors. Given its importance, this position is usually ranked just after the factory leaders. This is because the final assembly workshop is the process most directly related to the success or failure of the product, and it is where the product is finalized. When headquarters inspects samples and gives commendations, the final assembly workshop is always considered first.

Therefore, the appointment of the final assembly workshop director is handled with great caution by the main factory.

Tonight’s emergency meeting is actually to discuss this issue.

There are dozens of people attending the meeting. In addition to the factory leaders, there are also heads of several important departments such as personnel and finance, as well as grassroots cadres from the final assembly workshop. Of course, the outgoing director of the final assembly workshop, Charles Brooks, is also present.

The Party Secretary of the main factory, James Lincoln, glanced at the factory director Robert Warren, who was silently smoking, and at the chief engineer Samuel Mason, who was quietly chatting with the factory union chairman Thomas Carter beside him. He coughed lightly and began to speak.

“Comrades, let’s stop talking for a moment. There’s something we need to discuss today.” James Lincoln is the Party Secretary, which means he is the top leader of the factory. This is different from the figurehead role in many enterprises today. Most matters require his final decision.

Leaders of military enterprises are first required to be politically reliable, and also to understand technology and management. If those above don’t trust you and those below don’t trust you, such a cadre who pleases neither side is absolutely unacceptable.

James Lincoln also started from the grassroots, later became the director of the final assembly workshop, then served as the head of the labor and personnel department—which is the position closest to the factory leadership—eventually rising to deputy factory director, factory director, and only became Party Secretary two years ago, becoming the top leader of the factory. Over more than twenty years, he can be considered a veteran of the factory, and he handles people and affairs very well, enjoying high prestige among the workers and cadres.

Everyone in the meeting room, who had been whispering among themselves, fell silent when the boss spoke.

“To keep it short, today we are here to discuss the issue of the final assembly workshop. Old Chen is about to step down, and we need to support a new leader for the final assembly. What are everyone’s thoughts? Let’s discuss together.” James Lincoln said straightforwardly.

The position of director of the final assembly workshop is naturally a very eye-catching one, but most people know that without real ability, you can’t handle such a demanding job.

Not to mention the high benefits of being the director, you have to be able to do the job! Without ten or so years of experience in assembly, it’s impossible to have a comprehensive understanding of the workshop as a whole. If your subordinates pay lip service but secretly undermine you, you really have no way to deal with it.

After James Lincoln spoke, the factory director Robert Warren also expressed his view: “The secretary and I have discussed this before. In principle, the director of the final assembly workshop should still be selected from among the cadres of your own unit. This has been approved by the factory Party committee, and Old Chen has also strongly insisted on it.”

The cadres of the final assembly workshop immediately became a bit restless, each sizing up the colleagues sitting beside them, secretly guessing who might get the director’s position.

Among the current three major teams in the final assembly workshop, Henry Faulkner is naturally one of the team leaders, leading more than 150 workers, making it the largest team. The other two teams each have about 100 people. Including the office and some other logistics staff, the entire final assembly workshop has just over 400 people, making it the largest workshop in the factory.

There are always about a dozen cadres who are eligible to become director, and Henry Faulkner is naturally one of the more senior ones. But there are also some issues, such as personal willingness.

If someone is unwilling to take the director’s position, it would be difficult for the higher-ups to forcefully appoint them.

Chapter Six: The Reasons Behind