AKA: Recovering the Spear Tip
[Note: This adventure/lesson
happened in January 2009 before I came out to California from Chicago for the winter.
It has taken this long to get it cleared with the client. When I passed it by him
he made some minor changes and cuts. The reasons are obvious.]
One day early last week my phone rang. It was still dark outside.
I looked at the time on the phone. It was 5:00 AM. I recognized the hiss of an in-flight
phone. “Hello?”
“What are you doing for the next few hours?” The voice was assured
and backed with a smile. I recognized it instantly as many in his industry might.
“I'm meeting you in The Loop to discuss those candidates and
the book. Why?”
“Slight change of plans. Meet me at the airport in Wheeling at
about 6:30. We'll be back by noon or so. We can work on the plane.”
I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. Part of me said I was too
old for this and another part was certainly intrigued. “Ok. I'm in. Where are we
going?”
“Southeast.”
“Ah, why?”
“Because yesterday afternoon somebody became the most important
person in my company and it wasn't me!”
This was interesting because I was on the phone with the high
profile CEO of a Fortune company. “And who would that be?”
“A guy on one of our loading docks.”
"A guy on one of your loading docks became the most important
person in your company?” I asked.
“Yeah. Great, isn't it! Just like that. He became The Spear.
I need to go down and thank him in person. I'll have the co-pilot pick us up some
mac griddles across from the airport. There’s nothing on here except Starbuck’s
and some sugar packets. See you at the south end.” And with that the phone went
dead. As I got dressed and headed to my car I wondered what a “mac griddle” was.
Ninety minutes later I was climbing into a small, idling jet
north of Chicago. One of the pilots pulled the steps up behind me and sealed the
door. My host, we'll call him Jack (not his real name), was sitting there in sneakers,
jeans and a golf jacket. He was watching a PowerPoint show on a bulkhead mounted
LCD screen. He handed me a greasy hamburger-like thing and pointed to an adjacent
seat. A few minutes later we were in a very steep climb heading out over Lake Michigan.
After some small talk and the luridly fattening repast I nodded
toward the screen while sipping the fresh coffee the co-pilot had handed me. Jack
was on his third PowerPoint show. Using a hand remote he flicked through the slides
with strobe-like speed. Yet every few slides he would back-up, reread the slide,
then march forward. It was clear he was absorbing the content.
He looked over at me while pointing the controller toward the
screen. “This is such BS. It’s crazy how many guys think they can effectively manage
this way.”
“What way is that?” I asked.
“By hiding.”
“Hiding? In what sense?”
“You know. Trying to manage people while hiding behind a desk.
Behind report-tos. Behind these damn things,” he said waving again at the PowerPoint
show. “The best lesson I’ve ever learned about leadership is that true leadership
requires LEADING for God’s sake. And a lot of that is face to face where somebody’s
expression can say something that may never come out of their mouth.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like you’re full of sh*t!”
“But those are the ones you really want,” I said. “The ones that
say it, but perhaps with less eloquence. Truth to power, and all.”
“But they're rare. Too rare,” he said.
“You told me at the Christmas party that ‘a manager occasionally
has to be seen to be heard,’ remember that?” I asked.
“Sure. And that the good ones, like your Good generals, manage
from the front. Not always. But often. And that’s kind of what we’re doing today.
I’m going out to the front to earn my paycheck and take care of my equity
holders.”
He switched the monitor over to CNN and said, “Ok, who do you
have for me?” and we started going over what we were scheduled to cover later that
morning downtown.
Two hours later the big white Suburban that had picked us up
at the narrow strip pulled around the back of a low, non-descript complex that looked
like a thousand others I'd seen. I noticed there were cross coverage CCT cameras
everywhere. The rear gate’s security guard required a picture ID despite the fact
we were in a company car driven by a company driver carrying the distinctive CEO.
Under a crisp blue sky we were driven over beside the multi-bay loading dock. There
were two men obviously waiting for us up on the platform.
Before we climbed out my host looked at me and smiled. “You know
you wrote about this very thing in that e-rag you do.” He pointed through the SUV's
side window to the two men “You see the guy on the right?” I focused on the burly
black man. He was wearing the stout clothing of somebody that toiled physically
for a living. He stood on the freight dock like he had owned it for many years.
It was his office. On his face was a relaxed, confident smile as he chatted with
the man beside him who had on a dress shirt and sedate tie. Jack said, “Yesterday
afternoon that receiving agent was the most important man in the company. He became
the tip of the spear.”
“And we’re here...why? To say thank you?” I asked thinking that
was pretty cool but also calculating the cost of the jet fuel and identified McGriddles.
The boss smiled and laughed. “Of course. And naturally to take
the spear back!"
And with that we got out and climbed up onto the dock. Jack was
carrying a heavy paper bag I’d noticed on the plane.
After introductions Jack turned to the receiving agent, “So what
happened, exactly?”
“Well, sir, it was just like any other delivery except for the
numbers on the crate. They didn't match the manifest.”
“So, if you thought it wasn't for us why did you sign for it?
I can't imagine that’s policy.”
"Because he,” he said motioning toward his supervisor “put
up a sign in the break room that said ‘Think like an equity holder.’ I thought if
I was an equity holder I'd want to know what was in a box that was accidentally
delivered here rather than to our competition.”
Jack smiled and laughed quietly. He faced me as he held out his
hands palms up as if presenting the receiving agent: “See Tal, right here, right
now, the most important person in the entire company.” Jack then reached out and
said “Thank you!” He warmly shook the agent’s enormous hand again. “Now where is
it?”
The four of us walked into a locked room off to the side of the
loading bays. The wooden crate, a heavy looking five foot cube on a synthetic pallet,
looked like any other. There was no obvious way in. The top was fastened down by
a dozen or so screws. The plain room was completely empty other than the box.
Resting his hands on it Jack looked at the two men and asked,
"Nobody has touched this?” They both shook their heads. “Who else knows it’s
here?”
The supervisor, who was a bit unnerved by the fact he was in
the company of the CEO, answered the question, “Just the four of us, [the plant
manager] that called your office, and the freight company that delivered it.”
“Ok, let’s keep it that way," Jack said. "And thanks,
I'll take it from here.” The dock supervisor asked if Jack would need a screwdriver
and Jack replied, with a smile, “No, of course not.” The door closed behind us.
The room was dim and dusty. I wasn't feeling particularly comfortable.
“Now what?” I asked.
“I'm going to take the spear back. I'll meet you out on the dock,”
he nodded toward the door.
That was certainly my cue and I walked back out into the fresh
air and chatted blandly with the supervisor. The agent signed in a couple of deliveries
as we watched. He moved with an easy, fluid expertise. A half hour later I saw Jack
walking briskly towards us from around the far side of the building. He must have
gone further inside onto the production floor and out the front through the front
offices. I realized it was now impossible to tell how long he had been with the
crate even if he'd had a way to open it.
Jack was smiling and spoke to the super. “Look, call the courier
and tell them they have a misdelivery. Be sure they pick it up today.”
After thanking the receiving agent and supervisor again we climbed
back into the SUV and headed for the small airport. Jack and I were both quiet.
We both accepted the fact there was a big hairy rhinoceros in the corner we were
choosing not to discuss. And that was ok with me. My services have always included
a very high degree of discretion, so the silence was natural, even expected.
A few minutes later we pulled up to the waiting jet. As we walked
towards it Jack turned around and took a few steps back towards a metal trash can
by the gate. There was a heavy thud. I smiled. I guess I'll never know for certain
what was in the bag but I'm pretty sure I know the sound of a tossed battery powered
screw driver when I hear it.
Think about it…
