Late for a Very Important Date

Late for a Very Important Date
Bob the Manager woke up earlier than usual one
Monday morning. He always set his alarm for 6:00
A.M. so he had time for a half-hour walk around the
small lake that was two short blocks from his house.
This day, though, his alarm went off at 5:30 A.M. That’s
because he had a 7:30 A.M. breakfast meeting with his
boss, Dave.
Bob was a little apprehensive about the meeting.
He wasn’t sure his longtime dream of being promoted
from Team Manager to Group Manager was coming
true, or if the meeting would spiral downward into an
unwelcome discussion of a few minor “performance
issues” in his past.
In any event, by rolling out of bed a half hour
earlier, he’d have time for his walk and would still be
able to make the meeting on time.
Bob completed his brisk walk, took a quick
shower, sprayed on his favorite cologne, got dressed,
and tied a perfect knot in his most “corporate” tie. He
hadn’t worn a tie for several years—what with the
advent of relaxed dress codes in the business world—
so he struggled a bit with that stupid knot.
Then he strapped on his very expensive, highly
accurate Swiss watch and noted the time. Oops! He
was running a tad behind. Getting dressed “just right”
had taken more time than he’d anticipated.
Not to worry, Bob the Manager thought. I can
make up some time on the road, he assured himself.
He threw his PDA—his palmtop computer—and his
sleek aluminum-clad laptop into his computer bag and
got into his car.
He glanced at his watch again. He compared it
with the clock in the car. Yep. Still running behind.
Better call Dave.
When he reached the next red light, Bob the
Manager dug through his computer bag, found his
PDA, looked up the number, and called his boss.
“Dave here,” said the voice on the other end.
“Dave, this is Bob. I’m running a little behind.
Are you at the restaurant yet?”
“Yes,” said the voice. “And so far, you’re fifteen
minutes late.”
“I know. I’ve run into traffic,” Bob said, even
though he knew that traffic this day was no worse than
usual. He could easily have allowed for it if he had
2 / Late for a Very Important Date
thought things through ahead of time. “I’ll get there as
soon as possible.”
“Good,” said Dave. “I’ve got a full day going here.”
When Bob arrived, he parked his car and
practically ran to the door. He was out of breath when
he walked inside and scanned the restaurant for Dave.
“About time,” Dave said when Bob approached
the table.
“Sorry, Dave. I hate to keep you waiting,” Bob
huffed and puffed, still gasping for oxygen. He took
his seat and looked at Dave with considerable
embarrassment.
Dave hesitated for an uncomfortable length of
time before he finally responded. “Bob, how long have
you been with Algalon Micro?”
“Six . . . no, seven years, I think.”
“Seven is about it,” Dave agreed. “And what
concerns me is that in all that time, you still don’t
seem to have grasped what’s really important to us.”
Bob the Manager began to tense up. “I’m really
sorry, but what have I missed exactly?”
“This is a fast-moving business, Bob. Technology
advances not by the year, or month, or even week. We
are on the fast track. My view is that things change
daily. As the saying goes, ‘The cheese has moved.’ And
it keeps moving at lightning speed.”
Late for a Very Important Date / 3
“I do know that,” Bob reassured his boss.
“If we’re going to compete,” Dave continued, “we
have to remain keenly aware of what the competition
is doing, and leap ahead of them.”
“I know that, too, Dave.”
“If that’s the case, Bob, why are many of the
forecasts you prepare delivered to my office late? Why
is every budget turned in at the last possible moment?
Why is ‘just in time’ inventory management such an
ongoing struggle for your team? As Team Manager,
you have the responsibility to make certain that
essential events take place on time.”
“Yes, I know, Dave. I assure you, I’m doing my best.”
“Bob, last month you got two days behind in the
delivery of motherboards to one of our biggest
customers because you failed to order one little
capacitor on time. That means our customer lost an
entire day of production.”
“I remember what happened exactly,” Bob the
Manager protested. “I was buried in paperwork at
the time. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in
the day.”
Dave wasn’t buying Bob’s excuse. “We just got
word that we lost that account to Dyad Technologies.
Seems they claim that they can deliver the boards on
time. Apparently, their other customers are willing to
back up that claim.”
4 / Late for a Very Important Date
Bob the Manager turned red-faced. “I can’t
believe we lost that customer. I thought we were in
solid with them. It was just one little slipup.”
“This is business in today’s world. According to
the people in sales, your little slipup is going to cost
our company almost $200,000 a year.”
“I had no idea . . .”
“Well, now you do.”
“In all my years here, I believe that’s the only time
I’ve blown a deadline, Dave. And it’s certainly the first
time we’ve ever lost any business because of me.”
“It’s not just the lost business, Bob. It’s your whole
pattern of just barely making deadlines. That pattern
not only has impact on the quality of your work, but it
causes delays in other departments. You always seem
to come in right under the wire, and quite a bit of that
shows in your work. You rush to get things done when
time is running out, and you make mistakes. Some of
them have been costly, whether you know it or not.
We just can’t tolerate that kind of sloppiness at
Algalon. Your work habits are creating stress for your
coworkers, and I’m almost certain you have to be
feeling the stress yourself.”
“You’re right. I am stressed. But I’ve never
thought of myself as a sloppy person,” Bob said in his
own defense.
Late for a Very Important Date / 5
“In some respects, it appears that you aren’t. Every
time I walk into your office, your desk is all organized
and tidy. It’s as though you focus on being ‘Mr. Neat’
rather than on the vital few aspects of your job.”
“That’s not true, Dave,” Bob protested.
“The way I see it, Bob, you simply haven’t
determined what’s important and what isn’t. That’s not
working for me, nor will it work for Algalon or its
customers.”
“What are you saying, exactly?” Bob the Manager
ventured with considerable hesitation.
“Bob, you’re a good corporate citizen. You’re one
of the most likeable and generous guys in our
company,” Dave responded. “In fact, we all look up to
you for reaching out to help others in the company
and for your involvement in the community. While
being a good match for our values is important, so are
results. This is a business, and we have to operate it as
such. All of the problems you’ve had lately are in your
personnel file. It’s all carefully documented. It’s
serious enough, Bob, that we’re going to have to put
you on probation.”
Bob was completely taken aback. He had gone
into this meeting thinking he might even be
promoted. Now he was on probation! How could he
have been so wrong?
6 / Late for a Very Important Date
Dave continued, “My friend, there are two things
I look for in every key employee. They are character
and performance. You are a person of great character.
It’s your performance that falls short. If you didn’t
possess character, you’d be out the door. I don’t believe
that character flaws can be easily corrected. But I do
believe that performance issues can be resolved.”
Bob breathed a silent sigh of relief and said, “I’m
ready to work on it.”
Dave’s compassionate eyes revealed his true
feelings toward Bob. “I want you to succeed, my
friend. You have so much going for you. I don’t want
to have to let you go.”
“Dave, I love Algalon. I’ve enjoyed my time here.
What do I need to do to prove myself to you?”
“I have a new plan that might help you. When you
get to the office, I want you to see the HR Director.
She’ll fill you in on the details.”
“Will do,” Bob assured his employer.
Dave offered a stern parting comment. “I hope
you can change your ways, Bob . . . or you’ll have to
look for another opportunity. In today’s business
environment, companies simply can’t afford to have
any last-minute managers in their ranks.”