DHS–Domestic Terrorism
Annex
Washington, DC
February 14, 2018
The Stormy Weather Task Force had assembled for the mid-week meeting, and it got off to a sluggish start. Prepared to deliver a much-needed wake-up call, the news about Meg’s abduction and murder immediately got everyone’s attention.
“I don’t have many details to give you today. The FBI has launched an investigation, and I’m sure that many of you will be interviewed about your knowledge of Meg and anybody she might have known that could be responsible. The sick brutality of her death makes me believe that she may have been targeted because of Stormy Weather. So, I’d ask each of you to be alert and suspicious. The classification of the program and the team roster has been raised to a Sensitive Compartmented Information level, so that your assignment should not be discussed with anyone at your parent organization without the clearance and need to know. I regret that those of you not cleared to that level will have to leave the room. There will be a security specialist in the main floor conference room in ten minutes to process your de-briefing forms. Thank you for your professional efforts in support of the program.”
A third of the team left the room.
After a brief pause, Dan took an entirely different tack. His words came like steady thunder from a heavy caliber machine gun. He saw the people at the conference table as Seals just about to shove off on a difficult and dangerous mission that would almost certainly be accompanied by casualties.
“Our team’s task tracker looks like we are stalled without the motivation or momentum to make progress. Stormy Weather is too important to permit missed deadlines or extension after extension on our dates. I’ll make this easy. For everything to date, I take full responsibility. We will re-set our schedule, and I expect it to be aggressive. We’ll take today as a new point of departure and work through the tasks and dates. I will tell you that I will hold you accountable for work assigned. There will be no changes without my approval before the fact. And for those of you who believe that this is nothing more than an unpleasant wire-brushing that will be forgotten tomorrow, think again. I have asked for and received authority to provide a formal input on your performance ratings via the Director. Your objectives will be what we jointly assign, and I expect stressing goals from each of you. Are there any questions?”
No one had a question. Everyone understood that the team’s pace had been shifted into high gear and the driver was Dan Steele.
“OK, team. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. We need a detailed plan with clear accountability before the end of the day.”
He used a tactic that would have shocked most Washington bureaucrats accustomed to the no fault approach elevated by management professionals and consultants that offered vague touchy feely recommendations on how to positively motivate the workforce or be recognized as an Employer of Choice. He had let his emotion and his conviction show through to energize the team. Heavy-handed? Yes. Effective? Time would tell. One certain outcome: people would either step up to the plate and give it their best effort or be forced to quit. A simple fork in the road.