William Davis

It is understanding the situation well enough to give direction that actually fits reality. When Jerry accepted a senior management role, he was clear from the first interview that he was not a technical person. He had never coded, had not kept up with newer technologies, and was not being brought in as the technical expert. The understanding was clear: he would be leading 24 extremely experienced compliance team members, all of whom were contractors. His role was to manage the work, remove...

It is revealed when the conversation is hard. My boss handed me a responsibility that should have been his. He told me I needed to deliver a negative performance review to an associate I had never met, did not know, and who did not work for me at the time. Not only was I expected to deliver the message, but I was also told to write the assessment based only on the “facts” my boss provided. The consequences were serious. No pay increase. No bonus. No stock options. These were things this...

Every year — same script. Different actors. Same ending. "We need a monster Q4 or bonuses won't fund at 100%." We heard it in January. We heard it in July. And by October, it had become the company anthem — sung loud, sung often, and sung with just enough fear to keep everyone grinding through weekends, missed dinners, and skipped vacations. And every year, we delivered. We hit the targets. We renewed the accounts. We brought in the new business. We did exactly what they said couldn't be done...