May 2, 2008

“I don’t want any more excuses.”

“But (name withheld), we’re stopping at nothing to get the problem fixed.”

“That’s obvious from the progress you’ve made.  Try stopping when you’re done.”

A weakness toward compassion this boss never displayed.  He was usually brutal and he was always honest.  He did not have the time, or the disposition, to say hello in the morning or good-bye in the evening.  During meetings, his verbal repartee never failed to cut quickly and deeply.  The sting of his barbs often lasted for weeks. 

From him, we learned many lessons.  He didn’t care about answers to his questions, he simply wanted results.  He disdained explanations.  He expected action.  Our prior boss, his predecessor, was situated by style as his antipodal point – somewhat carefree, a consensus builder, not operationally focused.  This made the phase between their leadership tenures a bit problematic for many.

One such experience took place in New York.  I had just been skewered for about ninety minutes and was glad to see others enter the conference room for their time in the box on a different topic.  The subject was the status of a project in transition.  The project was “red”:  over budget, behind schedule, and with a very unhappy client.  Facing his first exchange with our new boss, the project manager attempted to explain a few of the problems he had inherited. 

Quickly irritated by the explanation, our new boss interjected, “I don’t want any more excuses.”

Justified in the hard work and effort his team was putting forth, the project manager countered, “But (name withheld), we’re stopping at nothing to get the problem fixed.”

The brutal reply (with no deference to the idiomatic expression), “That’s obvious from the progress you’ve made.  Try stopping when you’re done.”

His orientation toward results was admirable.  Stopping at nothing meant getting things done – quickly.