公司董事会成员David找Ken谈话，显得很神秘。
David: Hey, Ken…I need to talk to you.
K: Sure…what’s up?
D: Can we step into the conference room? This is a more private conversation.
K: Sure…
D: Ok…I’m just going to lay it all out on the table: What do you think of Vincent’s management style?
K: Well, Vincent has only been CEO for a couple of years and … well…um…
D: I don’t want to put you on the spot. Here’s what I’m getting at: I don’t think Vincent is the man for the job.
原来，David找Ken谈话，是因为觉得公司首席执行官 Vincent is not the man for the job. 不称职。David 说，I don’t want to put you on the spot. 意思是我不是故意为难你。to put someone on the spot 意思是让某人回答很难回答的问题。David 在上面那段话里还说 I’m just going to lay it all out on the table. 我就直截了当说吧。to lay something out 是讲清楚；on the table 意思是放在桌面上讨论。Ken 问 David 为什么觉得 Vincent 不称职。
K: Really? And what led you to this conclusion?
D: As I see it, he lacks the proper vision. His style is more about survival, and he’s not taking the company anywhere.
He’s treading water instead of swimming.
K: Well, I confess I’ve had my doubts about his abilities before. It seems he mainly got the job because his famous aunt pulled some strings.
David觉得Vincent缺乏远见，lacks the proper vision. 只能维持现状，不能推动发展，就好像在水里，He’s treading water instead of swimming. 光是原地踩水，不向前游。Ken说，Vincent 担任CEO, 靠的是自己姑姑的关系，His aunt pulled some strings. to pull some strings 意思是动用关系。
D: I’ve been with this firm for 26 years and I’d hate to see it go down the drain due to poor leadership skills.
K: Me too. But what can we do? This isn’t a reality TV show…we can’t just vote him out.
D: Yes and no…We can’t ask for a show of hands on who thinks he should be fired, but we can introduce a vote of no confidence at the next board meeting.
K: Interesting idea. You might be on to something.
David 说，自己在公司已经26年了，不想看着公司go down the drain就这么垮掉。to go down the drain 是失败，白费的意思。David 觉得，虽然这不是电视真人秀 reality TV show，不能让大家表决把他赶下台，a show of hands 是举手表决的意思，但是可以在下个董事会上提出一份 a vote of no confidence 不信任提案。