It was Monday morning, and I had arrived a few minutes late for work. Just as I was trying to slink through the office to my cubicle unnoticed, one of the senior vice presidents of the company called out to me from his cavernous, oak-paneled office. The door was only slightly ajar and I wondered for a moment how he had seen me. I entered the office, allowing the door to creak to a close behind me.

“Smith,” he said, “we’ve been keeping and eye on you.” I expected the worst, but he went on to explain that he wanted me to present our annual earnings report to the shareholders at next week’s board meeting. As soon as I got home that evening, I started rehearsing my speech and pulling up extra information to relay to the bosses. Then, with presentation easel firmly in hand, I delivered a solid performance under pressure.