PART THREE
Heavy Lifting
ON-SITE
Back in the office, even Kathryn was surprised by the rapid deterioration of any progress that had been made during the off-site.
The few glimmers of hope that did surface—like Carlos and Martin having a joint customer satisfaction meeting with their staffs—were enough to get employees whispering about what was going on. But in Kathryn’s mind, there was no denying that the team was still guarded with one another, and with her.
Based on the hallway demeanor she observed, Kathryn felt as though the team had completely forgotten about their two days in Napa. There was little interaction, and almost no signs of willingness to engage with one another. The team seemed as though they were embarrassed by having exposed themselves and were pretending that it had never happened at all.
But Kathryn had been through this many times before. And as disappointed as she was that the group had not completely internalized the concepts from the off-site, she knew that this was a typical first response. She also knew that the only way to defuse it would be to dive right back in and get the group’s blood flowing again. She had no idea that she was about to hit an artery.
It happened just a few days after the off-site had ended, on the same day that Kathryn’s first official staff meeting would later take place.
Nick had called a special meeting to discuss a possible acquisition. He invited anyone on the team who was interested to attend but made it clear that he needed Kathryn, Martin, JR, and Jeff to be there. Jan and Carlos also showed up.
Before starting the meeting, Nick asked, “Where’s JR?”
“He’s not in the office this morning.” Kathryn said. “Let’s get started.”
Nick shrugged and then began passing around a stack of glossy brochures to his colleagues. “The company is called Green Banana.” The group laughed.
“I know. Where do they get these names? Anyway, they’re a company in Boston that is either complementary to us or a potential competitor. It’s tough to say. In any case, I think we should consider acquiring them. They are hurting for cash, and we’ve got more than we need at this point.”
Jeff, feeling more like a board member than anything else, asked the first question. “What would we get?”
Nick, who had already decided that the deal made sense, answered quickly. “Customers. Employees. Technology.”
“How many customers?” Kathryn wanted to know.
Martin asked another question before Nick could answer the first one. “And is their technology good? I’ve never heard of them.”
Nick again had quick answers. “They’re about half our size in terms of customers.” He read his notes. “About twenty, I think. And their technology is apparently good enough for those customers.”
Martin looked skeptical.
Kathryn frowned. “How many employees? And are they all in Boston?”
“Yes, they have somewhere around seventy-five people, and all but seven of them are in Beantown.”
During the Napa off-site meeting, Kathryn had been careful to hold back her opinions in order to develop the skills of her team. But in the heat of real-world decision making, restraint was not her best quality. “Hold on. This doesn’t sound right to me, Nick. We would be increasing the size of the firm by 50 percent and adding a whole new set of products. I think we’ve got plenty of challenges to deal with as it is.”
As prepared as Nick was for dissent, he couldn’t mask his impatience. “If we don’t make bold moves like this, we’re going to miss opportunities to distance ourselves from our competitors. We have to be visionaries here.”
Now Martin rolled his eyes.
Kathryn pushed on Nick. “First, I need to say that Mikey should have been at this meeting. I’d like to know what she thinks in terms of market positioning and strategy. And I...”
Nick interrupted. “Mikey isn’t going to add any value to this conversation. This has nothing to do with public relations or advertising. This is strategy.”
Kathryn wanted to jump down Nick’s throat for being so harsh to someone who wasn’t in the room, and everyone could see that. But she decided it could wait for a few minutes. “I wasn’t quite finished. I also believe that the issues we currently have around politics would only be exacerbated by an acquisition.”
Nick took a deep breath, the kind that says, I can’t believe I bave to deal with people like this. Before he could say something he would regret, Jan jumped in.
“And I understand that our cash position is better than any of our competitors, and better than 90 percent of the technology companies in the Valley. But just because we have it doesn’t mean that we should spend it. Not unless it’s a clear winner.”
Now Nick was about to regret his words. “With all due respect, Kathryn, you might be a fine executive when it comes to leading meetings and improving teamwork. But you don’t know squat about our business. I think you should defer to Jeff and me when it comes to things like this.”
The room froze. Kathryn was sure that someone would pounce on Nick for his mini-tirade. She was wrong. In fact, Martin had the audacity to look at his watch and say, “Hey, I’m sorry, but I’ve got another meeting. Let me know if you need my input.” And he left.
Kathryn was perfectly prepared to call any of her reports on destructive behaviors that might hurt the team, but she didn’t think the first opportunity would center around her. That made it more difficult, but necessary nonetheless. The question was whether she should do it privately, or in front of the rest of the group.
“Nick, would you rather that we have this conversation right here, or one-on-one?”
He stopped to consider her question carefully, fully aware of what was about to ensue. “I guess I could be macho and say, ‘If you have something to say, go ahead.’ But I think we should have this one alone.” He actually smiled, but only for a split second.
Kathryn asked the rest of the group if they would leave Nick and her alone. “I’ll see you this afternoon at the staff meeting.” They gladly left.
As soon as they were gone, Kathryn spoke, but in a confident and relaxed way, far more in control than Nick had expected.
“Okay, first of all, don’t ever slam one of your teammates when that person isn’t in the room. I don’t care what you think of Mikey. She is part of this team, and you have to take your issues to her directly, or to me. You’re going to have to make that right.”
Nick, all six feet three inches of him, looked like a seventh grader in the principal’s office. But just for a moment. Then he regained his frustration and shot back at Kathryn. “Look, I’ve got nothing to do around here. We were supposed to be growing much faster by now and getting involved in a lot more M&A activity. I can’t just sit around and watch this place ...”
Kathryn interrupted. “So this is about you?”
Nick didn’t seem to hear her question. “What?”
“This acquisition. It’s about you wanting to have something to do?”
Nick tried to backtrack. “No, I think it’s a good idea. It could be strategic for us.”
Kathryn just sat and listened, and like a criminal being interrogated, Nick started to spill his guts. “But yes, I am completely underutilized here. I moved my family halfway across this damn country with the expectation that I might someday be able to run this place, and now I am bored, helpless, and watching my peers screw this thing up.” Nick was looking down now, shaking his head out of both guilt and disbelief at his situation.
Kathryn calmly addressed his comment. “Do you think you’re contributing to screwing this thing up?”
He looked up. “No. I mean, I’m supposed to be in charge of infrastructure growth, mergers and acquisitions. We’re not doing any of that because the board says ...”
“I’m talking about the bigger picture, Nick. Are you making this team better, or are you contributing to the dysfunction?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think you’re making it better.” She paused. “You clearly have a lot to offer, whether or not you ever run this place.”
Nick tried to explain. “I wasn’t trying to say that I want your job. I was just venting and ...”
Kathryn held up her hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’re allowed to vent from time to time. But I have to tell you that I don’t see you stepping up and helping people. If anything, you’re tearing them down.”
Nick wasn’t ready to buy what Kathryn was saying. He argued, “So what do you think I should do?”
“Why don’t you try telling the rest of the group where you’re coming from. Tell them what you just told me, about feeling underutilized and moving your family across ...”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with whether we acquire Green Banana or not.”
They both smiled for just a moment at the ridiculous name.
Nick continued. “I mean, if they don’t understand why we need to be doing things like this, then maybe ...” He hesitated.
Kathryn finished his thought. “Maybe what? Maybe you should quit?”
Nick was hot now. “Is that what you want? If that’s what you want, then maybe I will.”
Kathryn just sat there, letting the situation sink in for Nick. Then she said, “It’s not about what I want. It’s about you. You have to decide what is more important: helping the team win or advancing your career.”
Even Kathryn thought she sounded a little harsh, but she knew what she was doing.
“I don’t see why those have to be mutually exclusive,” Nick argued.
“They’re not. It’s just that one has to be more important than the other.”
Nick looked at the wall, shaking his head, trying to decide whether he should be mad at Kathryn or thank her for forcing his hand. “Whatever.” He stood and left the room.
FIREWORKS
By two o’clock, everyone was seated around the table in the main conference room waiting for the staff meeting to begin—everyone, that is, except Nick and JR. Kathryn checked her watch and decided to get started. “Okay, today we’ll do a quick review of what everyone is working on, and then spend most of our time laying the groundwork for the eighteen deals we need to close.”
Jeff was about to ask Kathryn where Nick and JR were when Nick walked in the room.
“Sorry I’m late.” There were two empty seats at the table—one next to Kathryn and the other at the opposite end. He chose the one away from the CEO.
Given what had happened earlier in the day, Kathryn was not about to scold Nick for being late. The rest of the team seemed to understand her restraint. Instead, she launched into the meeting. “Before we get started, I need to ...”
Then Nick interrupted. “I’ve got something to say.” Everyone knew that Nick could be rude. But the way he had just interrupted Kathryn—and after arriving late to her first official staff meeting—seemed particularly audacious to the staff. Oddly enough, Kathryn didn’t seem flustered at all.
Nick began, “Listen, I need to get some things off my chest here.”
No one moved. Inside, they were boiling with anticipation.
“First, about the meeting this morning. I was out of line. I should have made sure that Mikey was there, and that comment I made about her was not fair.”
Mikey was stunned, and then angry, but said nothing.
Nick addressed her. “Don’t get all pushed out of shape, Mikey. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Strangely, Mikey actually seemed reassured by Nick’s candor and confidence.
He continued. “Second, as much as I believe that Green Banana might be something we want to consider, my insistence on doing the deal is more about giving me something to work on. See, I’m beginning to feel that I made a bad career move by coming here, and I just want something that I can hang my hat on. I don’t know how I’m going to explain what I’ve been doing for the past eighteen months on my resumé.”
Jan looked at Kathryn, the only person in the room who didn’t seem shocked.
Nick continued. “But I think it’s time I faced the reality of the situation and made a decision.” He paused before going on. “I need to make a change. I need to find a way to contribute to this team, and this company. And I need you guys to help me. Otherwise, I should leave. But I’m not ready to do that just yet.”
Kathryn would have liked to claim that she knew that Nick would come around, but she would later admit to her husband that she honestly believed he would quit. Being wrong notwithstanding, she was suddenly thrilled that he was staying. And she couldn’t quite explain why.
The room was silent, not knowing how to respond to the statement that was out of character for both Nick and the team. Kathryn wanted to congratulate Nick for being so open but decided to let the moment speak for itself. When it became clear that the team had fully digested the magnitude of the situation and had nothing more to add, Kathryn went ahead and broke the silence. “I need to make an announcement.”
Martin was sure he was about to witness a group hug, or some sort of touchy-feely, conciliatory comment from Kathryn. Until she completed her thought. “JR quit last night.”
If the room was quiet when Nick finished speaking, it was dead now. But only for a few long seconds.
“What?” It was Martin who reacted first. “Why?”
“It’s not completely clear,” explained Kathryn. “At least not based on what he told me. Evidently, he’s gone back to AddSoft to be a regional VP again.” Kathryn hesitated before her next comment, which she considered withholding, but decided wouldn’t be right. “He also told me he just didn’t want to waste any more of his time at off-site meetings working out people’s personal problems.”
Another heavy moment. Kathryn waited.
Mikey spoke first. “Okay, does anyone else here think that this team-building stuff has gone too far? Are we making things better, or worse?”
Even Carlos raised his eyebrows, as though he were entertaining Mikey’s comment. The momentum in the room seemed tangible now, and it was moving away from Kathryn.
After the longest three seconds in Kathryn’s brief career at DecisionTech, Martin weighed in. “Well, I don’t think it’s news to anyone here that I hate doing this team stuff. I mean, it’s like fingernails on a bloody chalkboard to me.”
Kathryn didn’t need this.
Then Martin finished. “But that’s the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard. I think JR was just afraid that he didn’t know how to sell this stuff.”
Jeff agreed. “He did admit to me a few months ago, over beers in an airport, mind you, that he has never had to sell into a market that didn’t already exist. And that he preferred having a brand name behind him. He also said that he had never failed in his life, and that he wasn’t about to do so here.”
Jan added, “And he hated when we asked him about sales. He felt like we were pounding on him.”
Mikey chimed in. “Most of the sales that we have closed were done by Martin and Jeff, anyway. I don’t think that guy ever really knew how to ...”
Kathryn was just about to jump in, when Nick spoke up. “Listen, I know I should be the last person to say this because I was JR’s biggest critic behind the scenes, but let’s not do this. He’s gone, and we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”
Carlos volunteered. “I’ll take over sales until we can find someone else.”
Jan felt comfortable enough with Carlos to be direct with him, even in front of the rest of the group. “As much as we appreciate your offer, I think that there are two other people in this room with more time on their hands and more experience with selling.” She looked at Jeff who was sitting next to Nick. “One of you two.”
Jeff responded immediately. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d do whatever you want me to. But I’ve never run a sales organization, or carried a quota for that matter. I love to sell to investors and even customers, as long as I’m with someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Mikey offered her opinion. “Nick, you ran field operations at your last company. And you headed a sales team earlier in your career.”
Nick nodded.
Martin added, “But I remember when we interviewed Nick.” Martin often referred to people in the third person, as though they weren’t sitting in the same room. It wasn’t intentionally rude, just less personal. “He said that he wanted to break away from his career label as a field guy. He wanted to take on a more corporate, central leadership role.”
Nick nodded again, quietly impressed that Martin had remembered anything about him. “That’s right. I felt like I was being pigeon-holed in sales and field ops.”
No one spoke for a moment. Nick continued. “But I have to say that I was damn good at sales, and I enjoyed it.”
Kathryn resisted the temptation to begin selling Nick. Jeff didn’t. “You do have a good relationship with the sales force already. And you have to admit that you’ve been frustrated by our inability to get into more deals.”
Carlos joked. “Come on Nick. If you don’t do it, they’re going to accept my offer.”
Kathryn shrugged at Nick to say, He’s right.
“In that case it would be negligent of me to say no.”
Everyone laughed, when suddenly a fire alarm sounded.
Jan slapped her forehead. “Oh, I forgot. We’re having a fire drill today. The Half Moon Bay Fire Department said we have to start doing these twice a year.”
Everyone slowly gathered their things.
Martin added a final bit of humor. “Thank God. I could feel a group hug coming on any minute.”
LEAKS
Afew days later, Kathryn began having problems with her laptop, so she called the IT department to see if anyone there could fix it. The IT department was really just four people, headed by a guy named Brendan, one of Jan’s direct reports. Given the size of the group, it wasn’t unusual for Brendan to handle some calls himself. Especially if the call came from an executive. Especially the CEO.
Brendan arrived promptly and quickly identified the problem. When he informed Kathryn that he would need to take the computer with him to fix it, she agreed but explained that she would need it back before the end of the week.
“Oh, that’s right. You have another off-site coming up.”
Kathryn was not surprised that Brendan knew about the off-site. In fact, she was glad that employees knew how her team was spending her time while they were out of the office. But his next comment gave her reason for concern.
“I wish I could be a fly on the wall during those meetings.”
Kathryn could not let that comment go without a question. “Oh yeah? Why is that?”
Brendan, whose technical ability was matched only by his lack of social awareness, responded without hesitation. “Well, let’s just say that people around here would pay big money to watch Mikey answer for her attitude.”
Though Kathryn could not deny feeling slightly glad that others in the organization recognized Mikey’s behavioral issues, her primary reaction to Brendan’s remark was disappointment. She wondered how many other employees in the company knew details about what was happening at the off-sites.
“Well, I’m not sure that’s how I’d characterize what we’ve been doing.”
Kathryn knew that Brendan was not to be blamed for any of this, so she changed the subject. “Anyway, thanks for taking care of my computer.”
Brendan left, and Kathryn contemplated how she would handle the situation with Jan, and the rest of the team.
OFF-SITE NUMBER TWO
The following week, just days after what quickly became known as the Fire Alarm Meeting, the next Napa Valley session began.
Kathryn kicked off the event with her usual speech. “We have more money, better technology, more talented and experienced executives, and yet we’re behind our competitors. Let’s remember that the reason we’re here is to start working more effectively as a team.”
Kathryn then raised a difficult topic, but in a tone that was as nonthreatening as she could make it. “I have a quick question for everyone. What, if anything, did you tell your people about the first off-site session we had?”
As hard as she tried, Kathryn could not completely avoid creating an interrogation-like atmosphere in the room. “I’m not here to pound on anyone. I just think we need to get clear on our behaviors as a team.”
Jeff went first. “I didn’t tell my people anything. Not a single thing.”
The room laughed because Jeff no longer had any direct reports.
Mikey went next. “I just said we did a bunch of touchy-feely exercises.” She was trying to be funny, but everyone could tell that there was some degree of truth in what she was saying. No one laughed.
Martin suddenly became defensive. “If you have a problem with something we’ve done, then just tell us. Because I’ll admit right now, that I had some pretty frank conversations with my engineers. They want to know whether we’re wasting our time or not, and I think they’re entitled to an explanation. And if that means violating some degree of confidentiality, then I’m sorry.”
The room was a little stunned by the uncharacteristic diatribe, which was both longer and more emotional than what they were used to from Martin.
Kathryn almost laughed. “Whoa. Whoa. I’m not mad at anyone here. And I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have talked to our teams about the off-site. In fact, I should have been more explicit last time about our need to do so.”
Martin seemed relieved, and a little embarrassed.
Then Jan spoke. “I probably told my team more than anyone else. And I’m guessing that one of them said something to you.”
Kathryn felt as though she had been caught by Jan. “Well, in fact, it is one of your people who prompted me to ask this question.”
Mikey seemed to enjoy that Jan was being singled out.
Kathryn continued, “But this isn’t about you or anyone else in particular. I’m just trying to understand how things work in terms of confidentialities and loyalties.”
“What do you mean by loyalties?” Nick wanted to know.
“I mean, who do you all consider to be your first team?”
Not surprised by the confusion in the room, Kathryn explained. “This is not a lecture about maintaining confidential information. Or at least, that’s not the focus of what I’m trying to say. It’s beyond that.”
Kathryn was getting frustrated by her own inability to articulate the issue. She resorted to bluntness. “What I’m trying to ask you is whether you think this team is as important to you as the teams you lead, your departments.”
Suddenly everyone seemed to understand. And they didn’t seem comfortable with the true answers in their heads.
Jan asked, “So, you’re wondering if we confide in our direct reports about things that we should be keeping between us here?”
Kathryn nodded.
Mikey responded first. “I am much closer to my staff than I am to this group here. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
Nick nodded. “I’d probably say that’s true for me too, with the exception of the sales group I just took over.” He thought about it. “But I’d say that within a few weeks, I’ll be closer to them than to this team.”
Though Nick’s comment was meant as a joke and provoked a shallow laugh among the group, the sad truth of it seemed to deflate the room.
Jan spoke next. “I think all of us would probably say that we consider our teams more important than this one.” She hesitated before finishing her thought. “But no one more than me.”
That comment grabbed the attention of everyone at the table.
“Do you want to explain that?” Kathryn asked, gently.
“Well, as everyone here knows, I’m pretty tight with my people. Of my eight direct reports, five have worked for me at other companies, and I’m something of a parent to them.”
Carlos joked, “She’s a den mother.”
They laughed.
Jan smiled and nodded her head. “Yeah, I’d have to agree. It’s not that I’m overly emotional or anything like that. It’s just that they know I’d do almost anything for them.”
Kathryn nodded as though she were figuring it all out. “Hmm.”
Martin defended Jan. “That’s not a bad thing. My engineers know that I protect them from distractions and obstacles, and they work their butts off for me as a result.”
Jan added, “And they don’t quit when things get tough. My people are extremely loyal.”
Kathryn just listened, but Nick sensed that she was about to offer a counterpoint. “Are you saying that this is a problem? I would think that you would want us to be good managers.”
“Of course I do.” Kathryn assured them all. “I’m glad to hear how strongly you feel about your staffs. And it’s very consistent with what I learned during my initial interviews.”
The room waited, as if to say, So what’s the problem?
Kathryn continued, “But when a company has a collection of good managers who don’t act like a team, it can create a dilemma for them, and for the company. You see, it leads to confusion about who their first team is.”
Jeff asked for clarification. “First team?”
“Yes, your first team. And all of this relates to the last dysfunction—putting team results ahead of individual issues. Your first team has to be this one.” She looked around the room to make it clear that she was referring to the executive staff.
“As strongly as we feel about our own people and as wonderful as that is for them, it simply cannot come at the expense of the loyalty and commitment we have to the group of people sitting here today.”
The team digested her remarks, and the difficulty that they implied.
Jan spoke first. “This is a tough one, Kathryn. I mean, it would be easy for me to sit here and agree with you and give you a half-hearted assurance that this would be my first team, but I just don’t see how I can abandon what I’ve worked so hard to build in my department.”
Carlos tried to find a happy medium. “I don’t think you have to abandon it.” He looked to Kathryn for confirmation.
She squinted, as if dreading having to hold the line. “Well, you don’t have to destroy it. But you do have to be willing to make it secondary. And for many of you, that might very well feel like abandonment.”
Somewhat discouraged, the group considered the difficult proposition.
Jeff tried to lighten the mood. “Think how crappy this has been for me. You guys were my first team. I didn’t have anyone else to go to and complain.” Everyone, including Mikey, laughed. As much as Jeff was joking, they could see that there was a kernel of truth to what he said, and they felt sorry for him.
Kathryn felt the need to drive a point home. “I don’t know how else to say this, but building a team is hard.”
No one spoke. Kathryn could see doubt on their faces. But she wasn’t deterred by it, because it didn’t seem to be about whether building the team was important, but rather whether they could actually do it. Kathryn always preferred that kind of doubt.
PLOWING ON
Kathryn pushed forward. “Listen. We aren’t going to solve this one right here. It’s a process, and we don’t need to get bogged down contemplating our navels for more than a few minutes. Let’s just stick to our plan of building a team, and then the prospect of putting this one first might not seem so daunting.”
The group seemed ready to shake off their funk, so Kathryn asked a simple question to get things going. “How are we doing?”
Jeff spoke first. “I think we can’t deny what has happened since last off-site. I mean, if you would have told me that JR would quit and that we would already have someone like Nick in his place, I would have accused you of engineering the whole thing from the beginning.”
Nick agreed. “Well, I never thought I’d be doing this job, and I certainly never thought I’d be having fun at it. But I think we may be in pretty good shape. Still, we have a long way to go to make our numbers.”
Kathryn refocused the discussion. “But how are we working as a team?”
Jan replied, “I think we’re doing okay. We seem to be moving in the right direction and definitely having more productive conflict.”
The group laughed.
“I don’t know. I’m starting to have my doubts.” Kathryn wouldn’t have usually been surprised by a remark like that at this point in the process. Except that it came from Carlos.
“Why is that?” she asked.
Carlos frowned. “I don’t know. I guess I still feel like we’re not always talking about the big issues. Maybe I’m just getting impatient.”
“What big issues are you thinking about?” Jan wondered out loud.
“Well, I don’t want to stir things up here ...”
Kathryn interrupted. “I want you to.”
Carlos smiled. “Well, I guess I wonder whether we have our resources in the right place to make this work.”
Martin seemed to sense that he was the target of Carlos’s remark. And he was right. “What do you mean by resources?”
Carlos stammered, “Well, I don’t know. I guess we have a pretty big engineering organization. Almost a third of the company, I think. And, well, we could probably use more resources in sales, marketing, and consulting.”
Martin didn’t attack statements like that with emotion. He preferred what he liked to call a Sarcratic approach—a sarcastic version of the Socratic method. He was about to challenge Carlos’s remark cleverly, until Mikey joined in. “I agree with Carlos. Frankly, I don’t know what half our engineers do. And I salivate over the thought of using our money for better marketing and advertising.”
Martin sighed audibly as if to say, Here we go again. His disgust was not lost on anyone in the room.
Kathryn set the tone for what was about to happen. “Okay, let’s have this out. And let’s not pretend we’re doing anything wrong. We owe it to our shareholders, and our employees, to figure out the right way to use our money. This is not a religious battle. It’s about strategy.”
Having defused the tension just a bit, Kathryn then stoked the flame. She directed her statement at Martin. “I’m guessing you’re tired of people questioning our investment in engineering.”
Martin was calm, but intense. “You’re damn right I am. What people can’t seem to understand is that it’s not engineering we’re investing in—it’s the technology. We are a product company. It’s not like I’m spending money taking engineers on golfing trips.”
“Come on, Martin,” exclaimed Nick. “Engineers don’t golf.” After lightening the moment with humor, the new head of sales then resumed the conversation. “It’s not that we’re saying you aren’t being personally responsible. It’s that you might be a little biased.”
Martin was not ready to relent. “Biased? Listen, I go on as many sales calls as anyone else around here. And I speak to analysts ...”
Jan jumped in now. “Hold on, Martin. We’re not questioning your commitment to the company. It’s just that you know more about engineering than anything else, and maybe that makes you want to invest in the product.” Jan finally went to the heart of the matter. “Why do you get so defensive when someone makes a comment about engineering?”
It was as though Jan had thrown a bucket of cold water on Martin, spilling a little on everyone else in the room.
Mikey piled on, but more gently than usual. “She’s right. You act like we’re questioning your intelligence.”
More calmly now, Martin persisted. “Isn’t that what you’re doing? You’re saying that I’m overestimating the amount of resources it takes to build and maintain our product.”
Jan explained with more tact than Mikey could. “No. It’s broader than that, Martin. We’re questioning how good our products need to be for us to win in the market. We’re questioning how much effort we need to be putting behind future technology, because that might come at the expense of having the market embrace our current technology.”
Kathryn stepped out of her facilitating role and added to Jan’s perspective. “And there is no way that you could figure that out on your own. I don’t think anyone here is smart enough, and has the breadth and depth of knowledge, to know the right answer without hearing from everyone else and benefiting from their perspective.”
Ironically, the more reasonable the explanation was, the more wound up Martin seemed to become. It was as though he could easily deflect the insecure rants of Mikey, but was being trapped by the fairness and logic of Jan and Kathryn.
“Listen, after all the time we’ve put into building this product, I am not willing to read a bloody epitaph of our company that blames our demise on bad technology.” Before anyone could point out to him that this was a blatant demonstration of the fifth dysfunction, Martin beat them to it. “And yes, I know that sounds a lot like I’m more interested in avoiding individual blame than I am in helping the company win, but ...” He didn’t seem to have a good explanation for his behavior.
Jan bailed him out. “Why do you think I’m so anal about finances?” It was a rhetorical question, so she answered it for everyone. “The last thing I want to do is read in The Wall Street Journal that we didn’t manage our cash and had to close the company down. And Carlos doesn’t want customer support issues to sink us, and Mikey doesn’t want us to fail because we can’t build our brand.”
Even with such an even distribution of blame, Mikey couldn’t seem to accept her own portion. She gave Jan a look that said, I’m not worried about that.
Jan ignored her and commented to the rest of the group, “It sounds like we’re all scrambling for lifeboats on the Titanic.”
“I don’t think it’s quite that desperate,” countered Nick.
Kathryn qualified her CFO’s metaphor. “Well, then we’re all trying to stand as close to them as possible just in case.”
Nick nodded as if to say, Okay, I’ll give you that. Kathryn put the conversation back on topic and directed her leading question toward Martin. “So where were we?”
Martin took a deep breath, shook his head as if he were disagreeing with everything that had been said, and then surprised everyone. “Okay, let’s figure this out.”
He went to the white board and mapped out his entire organization, explaining what everyone was working on and how it fit together. His peers were genuinely amazed, both by how much they didn’t know about everything going on in engineering and how it all fit together.
After Martin had finished, Kathryn gave the group two hours to discuss the relative merits of expanding or reducing the resources allocated to engineering and how to use them in other areas. During that time, the team argued vehemently at times, changed their minds, retrenched on their original opinions, and then decided that the right answer was not so apparent after all.
Perhaps most important of all, every member of the team, including Kathryn, at one time picked up the marker and went to the white board to explain a point. If anyone yawned, it was because they were exhausted, not bored.
Finally, it was Jeff who offered a solution. He proposed cutting one future product line entirely and delaying another for at least six months. Nick then suggested redeploying the engineers from those projects and training them to assist sales reps with product demonstrations.
Within minutes, the group had agreed, laid out an aggressive time line for implementing the change, and stared in amazement at the complex but workable solution on the white board in front of them.
Kathryn then suggested they go to lunch and added, “When we get back, we’re going to be talking about dealing with interpersonal discomfort and holding each other accountable.”
“I can’t wait.” Martin’s facetious remark was not intended to be an indictment of the process, and no one took it that way.
ACCOUNTABILITY
After lunch, Kathryn was determined to maintain the momentum of the morning’s session, and she decided that focusing on real issues, rather than exercises, was her best bet.
So she asked Nick to lead the team in a review of their progress around their eighteen-deal goal. He went to the board and wrote the four key drivers that the group had agreed to focus on during the previous off-site: product demonstrations, competitive analysis, sales training, and product brochures. Nick went right down the list.
“Okay, Martin, how are you doing with the product demo project?”
“We’re ahead of schedule. It turns out to be a little easier than we thought, so we should be done a week or two early. Carlos has been a big help.”
Nick didn’t like to waste time. “Great. How about competitor analysis? Carlos?”
Carlos looked through a stack of papers on the table in front of him. “I brought an update summary, but I can’t find it.” He gave up looking. “Anyway, we haven’t really started yet. I haven’t been able to pull together a meeting.”
“Why not?” Nick was more patient than Kathryn expected.
“Well, quite frankly, because many of your people haven’t been available. And I’ve been busy helping Martin with the demo.”
Silence.
Nick decided to be constructive. “Okay, which of my people haven’t been available?”
Carlos didn’t want to point fingers. “I’m not complaining about them. It’s just that ...”
Nick interrupted him. “It’s okay, Carlos. Just tell me who needs to be more responsive.”
“Well, I think that Jack is key. And Ken. And I’m not sure if ...”
Now Kathryn interrupted. “Does anyone see a problem here?”
Nick answered first. “Yeah, I need to communicate with my staff about our priorities and make sure they’re ready to support them.”
Kathryn acknowledged that this was true, but she was looking for something else. “But what about Carlos? Don’t you think he should have come to you about fixing this problem before today? Not one of you challenged him when he said he hadn’t even started the competitor analysis.”
Uncomfortable silence again.
Carlos was secure enough not to overreact to his boss’s question. For the moment, he seemed to be considering it objectively.
Martin jumped in. “It’s hard to come down on someone who is always pitching in.”
Kathryn nodded and then added firmly. “You’re right. But that’s not a good excuse. The fact is, Carlos is a vice president of the company, and he needs to prioritize better according to what we agreed to do, and he needs to challenge people in the organization who are not responding to his requests.”
Sensing now that Carlos was beginning to feel picked on, Kathryn addressed him directly. “I’m using you as an example, Carlos, because you are an easy person to let off the hook. But this could apply to anyone. Some people are hard to hold accountable because they are so helpful. Others because they get defensive. Others because they are intimidating. I don’t think it’s easy to hold anyone accountable, not even your own kids.”
That brought a few nods of acknowledgment from some of the team members. Kathryn continued, “I want all of you challenging each other about what you are doing, how you are spending your time, whether you are making enough progress.”
Mikey challenged, “But that sounds like a lack of trust.”
Kathryn shook her head. “No, trust is not the same as assuming everyone is on the same page as you, and that they don’t need to be pushed. Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.”
Nick clarified. “But we have to push in a way that doesn’t piss people off.”
His statement sounded like a question, so Kathryn responded. “Absolutely. Push with respect, and under the assumption that the other person is probably doing the right thing. But push anyway. And never hold back.”
The team seemed to be digesting the point well, and Kathryn let it sink in for a moment. Then she asked Nick to continue.
He gladly obliged. “Okay, we’re on item number three, which is the sales training program. I own that one myself, and we’re on pace. I’ve scheduled a two-day training session for our salespeople, and I think that all of us should be there too.”
Mikey seemed incredulous. “Why?”
“Because we should all consider ourselves to be salespeople. Especially if closing those eighteen deals is really our top priority.”
Kathryn left no doubt. “It is.”
Nick continued. “Then we are all going to be involved, and we need to know how to help our sales reps.” Nick gave everyone the date of the training, and they wrote it in their calendars.
Mikey still seemed peeved.
“Is there a problem, Mikey?” It was Nick who asked.
“No, no. Go ahead.”
Nick wouldn’t accept that. Containing any frustration that he might have felt, he pushed on. “No, if you think there is a good reason for you not to be at sales training, then I’m open to hearing it.” He paused to see if she would respond, and when she didn’t, he continued. “Frankly, I can’t imagine anything else being more important.”
Finally, Mikey responded sarcastically. “Okay, and I’d like everyone to attend next week’s product marketing meeting.”
Nick restrained himself again. “Really? Because if you think we should all be there, and it makes sense, then we’ll do it.”
Mikey didn’t even consider his offer. “Forget it. I’ll be at the sales training. I don’t need any of you, other than Martin, at the product marketing meeting.”
Right at that moment Kathryn became certain that Mikey would have to go. Unfortunately, the next five minutes would make that harder than she would have liked.
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR
Nick moved to the fourth item on the list. “Okay, how are we doing with product brochures?” He directed the question at Mikey.
“We’re all set.” Mikey’s attempt to avoid being smug was transparent.
Nick was a little surprised. “Really?”
Sensing that her peers didn’t quite believe her, Mikey reached down into her computer bag, retrieved a stack of glossy leaflets, and began passing them around the room. “This is scheduled to go to print next week.”
The room was quiet as everyone scrutinized the design and read the copy. Kathryn could sense that most of them were pleased by the quality of the material.
But Nick seemed uncomfortable. “Were you going to talk to me about this? Because some of the salespeople are out doing customer research for these brochures, and they’re going to be a little miffed when they find out that their input was not ...”
Mikey interrupted. “My staff knows this stuff better than anyone else in the company. But if you want to have someone in your department add their two cents, that would be fine.” It was clear that she didn’t think it should be necessary.
Nick seemed torn between being impressed by what he was looking at and insulted by the way it was being presented to him. “Okay, I’ll send you a list of three or four people who should see this before we go forward.”
Any excitement about the progress Mikey had made was blunted by her reaction to Nick.
Jeff tried to make the awkward situation better. “Well, in any case, you and your staff did a great job with this.”
Mikey enjoyed the compliment a little too much. “Well, I’ve been working hard on it. And it’s what I do best.”
The entire room seemed to groan silently at their colleague’s continued lack of humility.
In a rare moment of impulsiveness, Kathryn decided that she could not wait any longer. After announcing that there would be a long afternoon break until dinner at six o’clock, she dismissed everyone. Except Mikey.
THE TALK
As soon as everyone had left the room and the door behind them had closed, Kathryn felt a sense of remorse and a desire to go for a long walk by herself. How can I get out of this? she wondered, knowing that there was no backing out now.
Mikey seemed to have no idea what was about to happen. Kathryn couldn’t decide if her ignorance would make this easier or harder. She would find out soon enough.
“This is going to be a tough conversation, Mikey.”
The marketing vice president briefly flashed a look of realization, and then covered it immediately. “It is?”
Kathryn took a deep breath and went right to the bone. “I don’t think you are a fit for this team. And I don’t think you really want to be here. Do you know where I’m coming from?”
A genuine sense of shock hit Mikey, which caught Kathryn off guard. She bad to see this coming, Kathryn moaned to herself.
Mikey was incredulous. “Me? You’ve got to be kidding. Of all the people on this team, you think that I ...” She didn’t complete the thought, but stared intently at Kathryn. “Me?”
Strangely enough, Kathryn was suddenly more comfortable now that the issue was out on the table. She had dealt with enough obliviously difficult executives in her career to stand firm in the midst of their shock. But Mikey was cleverer than the average executive.
“What’s the basis for this?” Mikey demanded.
Calmly, Kathryn explained. “Mikey, you don’t seem to respect your colleagues. You aren’t willing to open up to them. During meetings, you have an extremely distracting and demotivating impact on all of them. Including me.” As much as Kathryn knew that what she said was true, she was suddenly aware of how shallow her accusations might have sounded to someone unfamiliar with the situation.
“You don’t think I respect my colleagues? The problem is that they don’t respect me.” As the words came out of her mouth, Mikey seemed to realize the gravity of her accidental self-indictment. Slightly frazzled, she tried to clarify. “They don’t appreciate the expertise I have. Or my experience. And they certainly don’t understand how to market software.”
Kathryn listened silently, growing more confident in her decision with every word that Mikey spoke.
Sensing this, Mikey attacked, more calmly but with undeniable venom. “Kathryn, how do you think the board is going to react to my leaving the team? In less than a month, you’ll have lost your head of sales and marketing. I’d be pretty worried about my job if I were you.”
“I appreciate your concern, Mikey.” Kathryn’s response had just a touch of sarcasm. “But my job is not to avoid confrontation with the board. My job is to build an executive team that can make this company work.” She shifted toward a more compassionate tone. “And I just don’t think you like being part of this one.”
Mikey now took a breath. “Do you really think that taking me off the team is going to help this company?”
Kathryn nodded. “Yes I do. And I honestly believe it will be better for you too.”
“How do you figure that?”
Kathryn decided to be as truthful, and kind, as possible. “Well, you might find a company that appreciates your skills and style more.” Kathryn wanted to hold back the next sentence, but realized it was in Mikey’s best interest to hear it. “But I think that might not be easy if you don’t take a look at yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you seem bitter, Mikey. And maybe that’s a DecisionTech thing ...”
Mikey interrupted before Kathryn could go any further. “It is definitely a DecisionTech thing, because I’ve never had problems like this before.”
Kathryn was sure this wasn’t true, but she decided not to rub salt in her wounds. “Then you will definitely be happier somewhere else.”
Mikey stared at the table in front of her. Kathryn sensed that she was coming to terms with the situation, even accepting it. She was wrong.
LAST STAND
Mikey excused herself to collect her thoughts. When she returned a few minutes later, she seemed more emotional and determined than ever.
“Okay, first of all, I’m not resigning. You’ll have to fire me. And my husband is a lawyer, and so I don’t think you’ll have an easy time making a case against me.”
Kathryn didn’t flinch. But with complete sincerity and sympathy, she responded. “I’m not firing you. And you don’t have to leave.”
Mikey seemed confused.
Kathryn clarified the situation. “But your behavior would have to change completely. And it would have to change fast.” Kathryn paused to let Mikey consider what she was saying. “And frankly, I’m just not sure that you want to go through that.”
The look on Mikey’s face indicated that she definitely didn’t want to go through that. But she defended herself nonetheless. “I don’t think my behavior is the problem around here.”
Kathryn responded. “It’s certainly not the only one, but it’s a very real issue. You don’t participate in areas outside your department. You don’t accept criticism from your peers, or apologize when you’re out of line.”
“When have I been out of line?” Mikey demanded to know.
Kathryn couldn’t decide whether Mikey was being coy, or if she were truly that socially unaware. In either case, she would have to come clean with her, but calmly. “I don’t know where to start. There’s the constant rolling of your eyes. There’s the rude and disrespectful remarks, like telling Martin he’s an s.o.b. There’s your lack of interest in attending sales training, even though that’s the company’s top priority. I would say all of those are pretty out of line.”
Mikey sat in stunned silence. Confronted with such stark evidence, she suddenly seemed to realize the weight of her dilemma. Still, she had a few rounds of ammunition left before she would cede defeat. “Listen, I’m sick of hearing people complain about me. And I’m certainly not going to change in order to fit in with this dysfunctional group of people. But I’m not just going to make this easy for you and leave. This is about principle.”
Kathryn remained confident. “What principle?”
Mikey couldn’t come up with a specific answer. She just looked at Kathryn coldly, shaking her head.
Almost a full minute passed. Kathryn resisted breaking the silence, wanting Mikey to sit with herself and see the emptiness of her arguments. Finally, Mikey said, “I want three months’ severance, all my stock options vested, and the official record to show that I resigned on my own accord.”
Relieved, Kathryn was more than happy to give Mikey everything she asked for. But she knew better than to say so right there. “I’m not sure about all of that, but I’ll see if I can make it happen.”
A few more awkward moments of silence passed. “So, do you just want me to leave right now? I mean, should I not even stay for dinner?”
Kathryn nodded. “You can come get your things at the office next week. And meet with HR to work out your exit package, assuming I can get you want you want.”
“You know you guys are screwed, don’t you?” Mikey was going to punish Kathryn one way or another. “I mean, you have no sales or marketing people left. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you lost some of my staff members as a result of this.”
But Kathryn had been through this kind of situation plenty of times before, and she’d spent enough time with Mikey’s staff to know they saw many of the same flaws in their boss that everyone else did. Still, she felt it would be best to demonstrate some degree of concern. “Well, I would certainly understand if that happened, but I hope it’s not the case.”
Mikey shook her head again, as though she were about to launch into another tirade. And then she picked up her computer bag and left.
FLACK
Kathryn spent the rest of the break taking a long walk around the vineyards. When the meeting resumed, she was refreshed—but completely unprepared for what was about to happen.
Before Kathryn could raise the subject, Nick asked,
“Where’s Mikey?”
Kathryn wanted to deliver the message without seeming too relieved. “Mikey isn’t going to be coming back. She’s leaving the company.”
The looks on the faces of the people around the table didn’t seem to fit Kathryn’s expectations. They appeared to be surprised.
“How did that happen?” Jan wanted to know.
“Well, what I’m about to say needs to be confidential because of legal issues relating to departed employees.” Everyone nodded.
Kathryn was direct. “I didn’t see Mikey being willing to adjust her behavior. And it was hurting the team. So I asked her to leave the company.”
No one spoke. They just looked at one another and at the brochures still sitting on the table in front of them.
Finally, Carlos spoke. “Wow. I don’t know what to say. How did she take it? What are we going to do about marketing?”
Nick continued the list of questions. “What are we going to say to employees? To the press?”
As surprised as Kathryn was by their response, she quickly summoned an answer. “I don’t want to say a lot about how Mikey responded. She was a little surprised, a little angry, neither of which is rare in situations like this.”
The group waited for Kathryn to address the other issues.
She continued. “And as far as what we’re going to do about marketing, we’ll start looking for a new vice president. But we’ve got plenty of strong people in the organization now who can step up and keep things moving until then. I have no concerns about that.”
Everyone seemed to digest and agree with Kathryn’s explanation.
“And we’ll have to simply tell employees and the press that Mikey is moving on. We don’t have a lot of flexibility there, in terms of getting into sensitive information. But I don’t think we should be intimidated by anyone’s initial reactions. If we get our act together and make progress, employees and analysts alike are going to be fine. And I think most people, especially employees, won’t be all that surprised.”
As confident as Kathryn was and as logical as her reasoning seemed, the mood in the room remained down. Kathryn knew she would have to push them hard to focus on real work. She didn’t realize how much more work she had to do to put the Mikey issue to rest.
HEAVY LIFTING
For the rest of the evening and into the next afternoon, the group focused on the details of the business, with special attention on sales. Though they certainly made progress, Kathryn could not deny that Mikey’s departure was continuing to dampen the general atmosphere. She decided to enter the danger.
When lunch was over, Kathryn addressed the group. “I’d like to take a few minutes to deal with the elephant that’s sitting in the corner. I want to know how everyone is feeling about Mikey leaving. Because we need to make sure that we deal with this as a team before I stand in front of the company and explain it to them next week.” Though it always amazed her, Kathryn knew from past experience that the departure of even the most difficult employees provoked some degree of mourning and self-doubt among their peers.
Team members looked around at one another to see who would go first. It was Nick. “I guess I’m just worried about losing another member of the executive team.”
Kathryn nodded to acknowledge his concern but really wanted to say, But she was never a member of this team!
Jan added, “I know she was a difficult person, but the quality of her work was good. And marketing is critical right now. Maybe we should have just tolerated her.”
Kathryn nodded to indicate that she was listening. “Anyone else?”
Martin sort of raised his hand, making it clear that he was about to make a statement that he didn’t want to make. “I guess I’m just wondering who’s next.”
Kathryn paused before responding. “Let me tell you a quick story about myself. One that I’m not too proud of.”
That got everyone’s attention.
Kathryn frowned, as if she didn’t really want to do what she was about to do. “While I was in my last quarter of graduate school, I took a job as a contractor at a well-known retail company in San Francisco, where I ran a small department of financial analysts. It was my first real management position, and I was hoping to land a permanent job with the company after graduation.”
In spite of her limitations as a public speaker, Kathryn had a knack for telling stories. “I inherited a pretty good group of people. They all worked hard, but one guy in particular cranked out more reports, and better ones, than anyone else. I’ll call him Fred. Fred took any assignment I gave him and became my most reliable employee.”
“Sounds like a problem I’d like to have,” Nick commented.
Kathryn raised her eyebrows. “Well, there’s more to the story. No one else in the department could stand Fred. And to be honest, he annoyed the heck out of me too. He didn’t help anyone with their work, and he made sure everyone knew how much better he was at his job, which was undeniable, even to the people who hated the guy. Anyway, my staff came to me a number of times complaining about Fred. I listened carefully and even spoke to Fred half-heartedly about adjusting his behavior. But I mostly ignored them because I could tell that they resented his skills. More importantly, I was not about to come down on my top performer.”
The staff seemed to empathize with her.
Kathryn went on. “Eventually, the output of the department began to slide, and so I gave more work to Fred, who complained a little but managed to get it all done. In my mind, he was carrying the department. Pretty soon, morale in the department began to deteriorate more rapidly than ever, and our performance slid further. Again, a number of analysts came to me to complain about Fred, and it was becoming clear that he was indeed contributing to the problems of the group more than I had thought. After a tough night of thinking and losing sleep, I made my first big decision.”
Jeff guessed, “You fired him.”
Kathryn smiled in a shameful kind of way. “No. I promoted him.”
Jaws around the table dropped.
Kathryn nodded her head. “That’s right. Fred was my first promotion as a manager. Two weeks later, three of my seven analysts quit, and the department fell into chaos. We dropped way behind in our work, and my manager called me in to talk about what was going on. I explained the Fred situation, and why I had lost the other analysts. The next day, he made a big decision.”
Jeff guessed again. “He fired him.”
Kathryn smiled in a painfully humorous way. “Close. He fired me. ”
The staff seemed surprised. Jan wanted to make her feel better. “But companies don’t usually fire contractors.”
Kathryn was suddenly a little sarcastic. “Okay. Let’s just say that the assignment ended abruptly, and they never bothered to have me back.”
Nick and Martin smiled, trying not to crack up. Kathryn completed their thoughts. “I definitely got fired.”
Everyone in the room laughed.
“What happened to Fred?” Jeff wanted to know.
“I hear that he quit a few weeks later, and they hired someone else to run the department. Performance improved dramatically within a month of his departure, even though the department now had three fewer analysts than before.”
“Are you saying that Fred’s behavior alone hurt the production of the group by 50 percent?”
“No. Not Fred’s behavior.”
People seemed confused.
“My tolerance of his behavior. Listen, they fired the right person.”
No one spoke. They seemed to be feeling their boss’s pain, and making the obvious connection between Kathryn’s story and what had happened the day before.
After a few moments, Kathryn brought her lesson home. “I don’t plan on losing any of you. And that’s why I did what I did.”
At that moment, everyone in the room seemed to understand her.
RALLY
Back at the office, Kathryn held an all-hands meeting to discuss Mikey’s departure and other company issues. In spite . of her typically tactful and gracious demeanor, the news provoked more concern among employees than the executives had expected. And though they agreed that the reaction had more to do with its symbolic meaning than with losing Mikey in particular, it dampened the enthusiasm of the team.
So during the next staff meeting, Kathryn had the group spend more than an hour discussing how they were going to replace their head of marketing. After a heated debate about whether to promote one of Mikey’s direct reports, Kathryn stepped in to break the tie.
“All right. This has been a good discussion, and I think I’ve heard everyone. Does anyone have anything else to add?”
No one spoke, so Kathryn continued. “I believe that we need to find someone who can grow the department and help us with branding. And as much as I would prefer to promote someone internally, I don’t see anyone in the department who is close to being able to do that right now. And so I think we should begin a search for a new vice president.”
Every head in the room nodded support, even those who had argued against an outside hire.
“But I can assure you that we’re going to find the right person. That means everyone here will be interviewing candidates and pushing to find someone who can demonstrate trust, engage in conflict, commit to group decisions, hold their peers accountable, and focus on the results of the team, not their own ego.”
Kathryn was certain that her staff had begun to buy in to her theory. After asking Jeff to organize the search for the new VP, she shifted the topic to sales.
Nick reported that progress had been made with a few key prospects, and that some regions of the country were still struggling. “I think we need more feet on the street.”
Jan knew that Nick was asking for more money and tried to put a quick halt to his thinking. “I don’t want to add more expenses because that only means your quotas will go up. We don’t want to get into a death spiral here.”
Nick breathed hard and shook his head in exasperation as if to say, There you go again. Before anyone knew what was going on, Nick and Jan were pounding on the table trying to convince one another, and the rest of the group, that their approach was right.
During a brief pause in the action, Jan threw herself back in her chair in frustration and proclaimed, “Nothing around here has changed. Maybe the problem wasn’t Mikey after all.”
That sobered the group.
Kathryn jumped in, smiling. “Hold on. Hold on. I don’t see anything wrong here. This is the kind of conflict we’ve been talking about for the past month. It’s perfect.”
Jan tried to explain herself. “I guess I just don’t see it that way. It still feels like we’re fighting.”
“You are fighting. But about issues. That’s your job. Otherwise, you leave it to your people to try to solve problems that they can’t solve. They want you to hash this stuff out so they can get clear direction from us.”
Jan seemed tired. “I hope this is worth it.”
Kathryn smiled again. “Trust me. It will be worth it in more ways than you know.”
Over the next two weeks, Kathryn began to push her team harder than ever before around their behavior. She chided Martin for eroding trust by appearing smug during meetings. She forced Carlos to confront the team about their lack of responsiveness to customer issues. And she spent more than one late night with Jan and Nick, working through budget battles that had to be fought.
More important than what Kathryn did, however, was the reaction she received. As resistant as they might have seemed in the moment, no one questioned whether they should be doing the things that Kathryn made them do. There seemed to be a genuine sense of collective purpose.
The only question that remained in Kathryn’s mind was whether she could keep it going long enough for everyone to see the benefits.
