Late 1980’s
Cupertino, CA.
The crowded auditorium in Cupertino was filled with hundreds of sales, marketing and technical personnel who proudly wore the rainbow logo, either as a fixture on their shirts or emblazoned on their souls. “The journey is the reward” had been drilled into the group’s psyche for years, and each one of us lived this truth together. Cultish no, but passion driven, yes.
At the front of the auditorium, Mr. Z (VP of sales for Apple Computer, Inc.) was laying out the yearly business plan for the sales group in attendance while the marketing and product groups also in attendance listened intently. (As described in Blog 8,) Mr. Z was one tough SOB, his demeanor a pure representation of his five-foot stocky build and the challenges I am sure he had to overcome throughout his life to compensate for his stature. One could only see his head, as the podium he was behind only lent this limited view to the room. As he described the marching orders in detail, the fire in his eyes was enough to compensate for any body language observations that remained hidden.
As Mr. Z finished his presentation, the standard ask of any presenter was raised. “Any questions?” his voice resonating off the walls. (In my tenure as not only a salesperson but one who by now in this stage of my career had been through hundreds of presentations, this ask was not to be responded to in real time in such a large venue. Small groups could respond to the ask all day long as it facilitated discussion and problem solving. Again, not so much in this venue…) Ninety-nine percent of the crowd metaphorically sat on their hands in response to the question…except for one individual.
“I have a question,” emanated resoundingly from the middle of the crowd. A salesperson that I recognized from the previous days in training had stood up. While there may not have been physical spotlights in the room, the essence of a ten thousand lumen light hyper-focused everyone’s attention on the individual. “What if we don’t agree with the plan?” he bellowed.
The pucker factor moved like a shock wave through the audience. You could physically see it, touch it and smell it. The effect was something to behold, as the wave individually attacked each individual and manifested itself differently in each member of the audience. Some sat open-mouthed, others audibly gasped while others threw their hands onto anything they could touch and grasp like a vice grip.
I found myself in the vice grip category, grabbing the underside of my chair as if it was about to levitate and rocket out of the room. I felt immediately clammy and sensed a catastrophe was not only about to drop but was inevitable. I subconsciously hearkened back to my hockey playing days, hoping that my mouth guard was in place and could withstand the upcoming check…
Mr. Z’s stature manifested and evolved. He no longer was visibly a “taking head” but had somehow risen above the podium several inches. Most astonishingly, he was crawling over the top of the podium, one arm bracing while the other was thrusting out like a spear in the direction of the lone questioner. I could see his feet…now arching almost on a perfect line with the top of the podium. (I looked how far off from the boards I was, now expecting a full-on cross-check…)
“The plan is the f’n plan!” Mr. Z extolled; the microphone not needed as his body covered it. “Who the F are you to question any of this?” “I am not asking anyone in this audience to agree to anything…nor do I need your agreement!” “I do require execution though!” “Everyone out now, except for him!” Mr. Z yelling at the top of his lungs.
This moment in time lives indelibly in my psyche…creeping out consciously now less frequently but always at the right circumstantial time. It was a milestone – nope watershed – moment in my professional career. Yea, the behavior probably wouldn’t fly now given today’s workplace mores, but its substance or essence is unequivocal.
For most circumstances such as this, there are certain parameters that need to be adhered to. In today’s corporate reality one could justifiably argue that questioning leadership is not only justifiable but mandated. Clarification is key in assuring that any given mandate on corporate strategy is fully understood and the execution of such clearly defined. “Marching orders” are just that…here is the direction we would like to take the company and here is how we are going to implement said strategy. Leadership owns the whole ball of wax, from formulation through measuring results but they also own the adoption…the assurance that their implementation team’s execution purely aligns with their best laid plans.
The next day there was one less attendee than the day prior.
Meandering thoughts on Blog 9
- Clear and measurable goals and objectives are the lynch pin in any organization.
- Sometimes the messenger does get shot.
- Be and think tactfully.
- Hockey is formative in knowing when to duck.
- The Napolean complex is real.
Stay tuned for chapter 10…