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Business Rule #28:
Don’t Expect the Worst...
or You’ll Get It
May 6, 2005
(PAGE 3 of 3)
Tana tried to get her team to take the initiative by telling them that they have her permission to make decisions. “If I put you in charge of balloons, you can make whatever decisions you need to about balloons.” The example sounded so trivial. It was like telling her staff they are free to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. It was terrible the way she chose to make a preemptive correction, letting her team know that she wasn’t happy with their past performance. In effect, she was telling them, “Don’t act like losers.”
So it came as no surprise that part of Tana’s team interrupted her meeting with the NYC 2012 organizers to ask for help parking the car. They didn’t have to call to say they were late—Tana already knew that. They knew there wasn’t much Tana would be able to do to help them find a parking space in the financial district. All Chris and Kristen were really doing was calling to whine. They were already giving Tana what she expected from them.
Tana didn’t have to take the call. Fumbling around to respond to a cell phone or pager can create a bad impression on new business contacts. There is nothing ruder than taking a call in the middle of a meeting. It says, “Even though you took the time to see me, you’re not as important as the person that’s calling.” Here again, Tana sent the wrong message.
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Moreover, she is already talking about firing members of her team if they don’t perform adequately. Tana is like a bride on the way to the wedding, comforting herself with the fact that she can get a divorce if the marriage doesn’t work out. That’s never the best way to enter into a relationship.
Kendra and Tana are facing massive challenges. As usual, there is too much to coordinate, too few people available to help, and severe time constraints. What these ladies expect of their teams, as well as their ability to effectively delegate and lead, will almost certainly determine who will become The Apprentice.
May the best woman win.
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There is nothing ruder than taking a call in the middle of a meeting.
