Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change

Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change Ken Blanchard By the bestselling author of The One Minute Manager, a business parable that teaches organizations to cope successfully with change.Every day organizations around the world launch change initiatives – often big, expensive ones - designed to improve the status quo. Yet 50 to 70 percent of these change efforts fail. A few perish suddenly, but many die painful, protracted deaths that drain the organization's resources, energy and morale.So, Who or what is killing change? That's what you'll find out in this delightful whodunit. The story features a Columbo-style detective named Agent who's investigating the murder of yet another Change. One by one, Agent interviews thirteen prime suspects, including a myopic leader named Vision; a chronically tardy manager named Urgency; an executive named Communication whose laryngitis makes communication all but impossible; and several other dubious characters.The suspects are sure to sound familiar, and you're bound to relate them to your own workplace. In the end, Agent solves the case in a way that will inspire you to become an effective Change Agent in your own organization. KEN BLANCHARD bestselling author of The One Minute Manager who killed change? solving the mystery of leading people through change with JOHN BRITT PAT ZIGARMI JUDD HOEKSTRA In loving memory of Alice Britt Caldwell 1943-2007 and Gerald A. Embry 1941-2008 Contents Chapter 1 - Scene of the Crime (#u428102bb-e451-528a-94c5-7f798cce849d) Chapter 2 - Suspect #1: Culture (#u68944b42-2929-5774-8a23-948588e224a4) Chapter 3 - Suspect #2: Commitment (#u225fa259-79b2-5979-b2ec-e110d4dca3d3) Chapter 4 - Reflections on Culture and Commitment (#ucfb841bc-3cd8-51fd-ad08-108a4a3c0ed4) Chapter 5 - Suspect #3: Sponsorship (#u44a8636a-e529-5768-911e-0bc64569775f) Chapter 6 - Suspect #4: Change Leadership Team (#ucd7c04fd-1fda-54f8-92a3-0caf76517751) Chapter 7 - Suspect #5: Communication (#u40b46c42-4910-5b15-a0e2-1ff6a4b82ee1) Chapter 8 - Reflections on Sponsorship, Change Leadership Team and Communication (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 9 - Suspect #6: Urgency (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 10 - Suspect #7: Vision (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 11 - Reflections on Urgency and Vision (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 12 - Suspect #8: Plan (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 13 - Suspect #9: Budget (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 14 - A Vision of Death (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 15 - Suspect #10: Trainer (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 16 - Suspect #11: Incentive (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 17 - Reflections on Plan, Budget, Trainer and Incentive (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 18 - Suspect #12: Performance Management (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 19 - Suspect #13: Accountability (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 20 - Super Cops and Stakeholders (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 21 - The Autopsy Report (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 22 - Murderer Announced: Invitation Only (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 23 - Change Lives! (#litres_trial_promo) Chapter 24 - Helping Change Thrive in Your Organization (#litres_trial_promo) Resources (#litres_trial_promo) About the Authors (#litres_trial_promo) Also by Ken Blanchard (#litres_trial_promo) Copyright (#litres_trial_promo) About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo) Scene of the Crime (#uaf53a483-5616-53e9-80b5-6472a876becb) AGENT Mike McNally’s dark sedan skidded up to the front door of the ACME organization under a stormy night sky. The single blue light rotating on the hood contrasted eerily with the distant flashes of lightning. McNally got out of his car, brushed the ashes from his overcoat and took a last drag on his cheap cigar. This was his third homicide case this month, all with the same last name—Change. In fact, the investigation of Change fatalities had become his life’s work. A clear pattern to the deaths had emerged over the years. Change would be introduced to an organization with varying degrees of reception. From all appearances Change would begin to integrate into the organization and then, without warning, Change would be found dead, quite often with no apparent injury. The evidence was always scant and a sole perpetrator had never been identified. This time McNally was determined to catch the killer. He extinguished his cigar, took his notebook from his pocket and slowly walked toward the door. McNally slipped under the yellow Do Not Cross police tape and walked into the conference room. The room buzzed with activity. A photographer was taking pictures of the deceased from different angles, and people in groups of two and three were giving their opinions on what had happened. At the far end of the room, Change’s body was slumped over the conference table. Just out of reach of his right hand was an overturned glass. The table was still wet from the spill. A man unknown to McNally came up to him and handed him a folded note. “The medical examiner asked me to give this to you,” he said. McNally unfolded the note and read: probably a homicide poisoning is the most likely cause of death death was most likely between 7 and 9 a.m. today more after the autopsy McNally cleared the room, closed the door and began his investigation of the crime scene. When he emerged an hour later, a woman was waiting for him outside the door. “My name is Anna,” she said. “I’ll be your assistant. I’ve been told to take care of whatever you need.” McNally knew who the primary suspects were. He had done this many times before. The usual suspects were always the same. He opened his notebook and looked at the list he’d prepared: 1 Culture—defines the predominant attitudes, beliefs and behavior patterns that characterize the organization 2 Commitment—builds a person’s motivation and confidence to engage in the new behaviors required by the Change 3 Sponsorship—a senior leader who has the formal authority to deploy resources (e.g., time, money and people) toward the initiation, implementation and sustainability of the Change; ultimately responsible for the success of the Change 4 Change Leadership Team—actively leads the Change into the organization by speaking with one voice and resolving the concerns of those being asked to change 5 Communication—creates opportunities for dialogue with change leaders and those being asked to change 6 Urgency—explains why the Change is needed and how quickly people must change the way they work 7 Vision—paints a clear and compelling picture of the future after Change has been integrated successfully 8 Plan—clarifies the priority of the Change relative to other initiatives and responsibilities; works with those being asked to change to develop a detailed and realistic implementation plan, then to define and build the infrastructure needed to support the Change 9 Budget—analyzes proposed Changes from a financial perspective to determine how best to allocate limited resources and ensure a healthy return on investment (ROI) 10 Trainer—provides learning experiences to ensure those being asked to change have the skills needed to follow through with the Change and succeed in the future organization 11 Incentive—recognizes and/or rewards people to reinforce desired behaviors and results that enable Change 12 Performance Management—sets goals and expectations regarding behaviors and results that enable Change, tracks progress toward the goals and expectations, provides feedback and training and formally documents actual results versus desired results 13 Accountability—follows through with people to ensure their behaviors and results are in line with agreed upon goals and expectations and that leaders are walking the talk, and institutes consequences when behaviors or results are inconsistent with those that enable Change McNally tore the sheet of paper from his notebook and handed it to Anna. “I need to interview these people as soon as possible,” he said. “I’m thinking thirty to forty-five minutes per person. Can you arrange that?” “I’ll get right on it,” she said. “Also, it would be great if you could get me a copy of the org chart, so I can see who works for whom,” McNally added. The assistant had anticipated this request. She handed McNally a copy of the organizational chart. Then she was gone. Suspect #1: Culture (#uaf53a483-5616-53e9-80b5-6472a876becb) AT nine o’clock the next morning Agent McNally, sitting in the same conference room where Change had been killed, read through his file. He looked up as Carolina Culture entered the room. He knew she’d be his first interview but he would never have recognized her. Culture was small and unassuming, neither attractive nor unattractive. She had no distinguishing features, and he thought that if he passed her on the street, he probably wouldn’t notice her. “Good morning,” said McNally, trying to hide his surprise. “How are you today?” “Very well,” Culture responded. “And you?” Her voice was smooth and low. “Good, good. Thank you very much.” McNally was thinking, Why am I asking her how she is? I don’t ask people how they are. I ask them questions about the crime. Her voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Did you have some questions for me?” she said. “Yes, I do. Where were you yesterday morning?” he asked. “I was here. I’m here most all the time.” McNally did not interpret her comment as either whining or martyrdom. It came across as just matter-of-fact. “Did you visit any departments?” he asked. “Oh, yes. I make my rounds. I’m in every department most every day.” “Did anyone see you up here yesterday?” “That’s an interesting question,” Culture replied. “People here are really busy. And let’s face it—my role isn’t exactly high profile. So I really can’t answer that. You’ll have to ask them.” McNally found himself straining to hear her. “How would you describe your relationship with Change?” he inquired. Culture did not hesitate. “Discreet,” she offered. McNally prodded, “Can you help me with that?” “Change’s role is designed to be high profile,” she replied. “He consulted me a few times but, in general, it was behind closed doors.” McNally replied, “He consulted you? Were you able to help him?” “I think so. It’s hard to say. It’s not my style to micromanage. Since he never discussed any problem with me twice, I assumed he was able to work through the challenges he was facing,” she said. “Micromanage—does that mean Change reported to you?” “Oh, no,” Culture said. McNally thought he noticed a hint of a smile. “No one reports to me. I’ve been around here longer than you would believe. My role has always been to define the beliefs that guide how we operate here. You could think of my role as a compass that points in a direction, but it’s not a map that details how to get from point A to point B.” “So, what was it that Change consulted you about last?” McNally asked. “VALUES!” Culture replied so loudly that McNally found himself backing up in his chair. She continued at a volume that was much too loud for the size of the room and their proximity to each other. “Change wanted to use our organizational values to leverage what he was trying to get accomplished. I tried to teach him that if your actions are consistent with your values, you have a better chance of success.” “And those values are…?” McNally asked in a soft voice that was perhaps an unconscious attempt to normalize her previous intensity. It didn’t work. Culture launched into an even louder monologue that McNally could describe only as overly rehearsed. “V is for Very Efficient. To reach our business goals, we must operate in a manner that is very efficient. We have to appropriately allocate resources and control our costs. “A is for A Customer Focus. We have many customers and we have to provide each of them with the highest level of service. “L is for Lots of Teamwork. We can achieve more by working as a team. At ACME we believe ‘no one of us is as smart as all of us!’ “U is for Understanding. At the core of understanding is listening. Each individual will bring a point of view to a situation or opportunity. By listening and understanding all points of view, we will make better decisions. “E is for Excellence. Our products are our livelihood. Anything less than excellent is unacceptable.” The contrast between his first impression of Culture and the strength of her presentation about ACME’s values was stark. But then McNally considered that strength and decibel level were not necessarily synonymous. He detected no passion in her delivery and sensed that the volume was a substitute for real feeling. “The values you speak of come through loud and clear,” McNally said. “But I’m betting there’s a disconnect between those values and what’s actually going on here.” Culture did not respond. McNally made a mental note that he had not seen Culture blink the whole time they had been talking. “Would you mind responding to that?” McNally asked politely. “Sure—but I didn’t perceive it to be a question,” she said, lowering her voice. “As I told you before, my job is to lay the groundwork and to point in a direction. I don’t control whether the individuals or teams live by our values.” McNally wondered how well Culture knew Accountability. He knew that if Accountability were doing his job well, he would reinforce the behaviors that drive Culture. McNally had worked enough cases to know that there was always some gap between espoused values and the day-to-day behaviors of people in that organization. At this place, he suspected it was more of a wide gulf than a small gap. Surmising that Culture was not going to take any responsibility for the disparity, McNally changed tactics. “Any idea who killed Change?” he asked. “Not a clue,” Culture responded immediately. “But surely,” McNally coaxed, “with your long history here and the long hours you put in and with your obvious influence on the organization, you must have some idea of who didn’t like Change—someone who wanted to get Change out of the way.” “You flatter me, Agent McNally. Yes, I’ve been around a long time and I do work a lot of hours. I would like to think that I have had, and still have, some influence on this organization. But I still can’t tell you who killed Change.” Again McNally found himself leaning forward, mesmerized by the honeyed tone of Culture’s voice. There was a long pause. Then Culture asked, “Anything else?” “No, I think that’s about it. Where can I find you if I have more questions?” he asked. “Oh, I’ll be around,” she said. Again McNally thought he caught a glimpse of a smile. He looked down to consult his notes to see who was next on the list. He looked up and began, “Thank you for your—” But Culture was gone. He looked behind him and the door was closed. He had not heard it open or shut. With some embarrassment, he actually pulled his chair back and looked under the conference table. Nothing. No one was there. That’s just downright eerie, he thought. Just downright eerie. Suspect #2: Commitment (#uaf53a483-5616-53e9-80b5-6472a876becb) CHASE Commitment was the next to appear in the interrogation room. With an earnest face, Commitment smiled at Agent McNally, shook his hand and sat down. McNally opened with “Thank you for meeting me. As you know, I am investigating Change’s death. Would you mind telling me a little about yourself?” “My pleasure,” replied Commitment. “Certainly, like most people here, I wear several hats. My main focus, however, is to create buy-in for the Changes we employ here.” He stopped and eagerly looked at McNally. “So tell me more. Can you tell me how you work with leadership here in regard to Change?” “Happy to,” answered Commitment with a smile. “I’m not sure who you have interviewed so far and I wouldn’t want to ‘steal their thunder,’ as they say. I can tell you that I have learned a lot from the Changes we’ve had here over the years. The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that our employees have fairly predictable concerns when we introduce a new Change. If we don’t respond to those concerns, the success of Change drops dramatically. When Change is first introduced, everybody seems to need more information. They want to hear why they need Change. I work with Ernest Urgency on that. They also have personal concerns—who wouldn’t wonder if they’ll win or lose when someone announces a Change? Whether leadership likes it or not, employees don’t buy in to a Change until they understand how it might affect them. Don’t you see, Agent McNally, that if we get at these concerns and address them, we are more likely to gain employee support? Again, that’s my job.” McNally felt Commitment’s passion. In fact, he could envision Commitment on stage behind a podium delivering a motivation speech, his audience in reverent attention. Commitment continued, “We must be able to create a picture of the Change and help our people see what it will look like. I need Victoria Vision for that. And doesn’t it make sense that we should let some of our people be involved in the decision making about Change? I lean on Spence Sponsorship and Pecs for that.” “Pecs?” McNally asked. “You’ll meet him later, I’m sure. Everybody knows Pecs. Anyway, after Change has been here a while, our employees wonder whether or not Change can really be integrated. Perry Plan should be involved. Terry Trainer should be doing some training, and Isabella Incentive should provide the encouragement.” Commitment stood up and began pacing, palms and eyes raised to the ceiling as if speaking to a higher authority. “Eventually, employees have concerns about whether everyone will be able to truly work together. It’s here that I need you more than ever, Peter Performance Management and Aidan Accountability.” McNally found himself looking around to see if someone had entered the room. Nobody had. Head and hands down now, Commitment walked back to his chair and sat down. McNally noticed that the suspect was sweating profusely. He grabbed a bottle of water and placed it in front of Commitment. “Wow, as I was listening to you just now, I felt as though I was listening to a sermon,” McNally replied. “But despite all your passion, I couldn’t help thinking that your colleagues might not be totally on board with the lessons you have learned about Change.” Commitment’s expression told McNally that he was having an internal debate as to how much information he wanted to share. Finally, Commitment said, “We’re a bit dysfunctional here.” McNally used silence to urge Commitment to continue. “It’s funny you said ‘sermon’ earlier,” Commitment continued at last, “because that pretty much sums up what I feel like I’m doing here—preaching. The congregation—made up of leaders and managers—comes every Sunday. They smile, nod, shake my hand and then go out and behave any way they want Monday through Saturday. Academically, they understand that people are much more likely to buy in to a Change when they are involved in the planning and have an opportunity to influence decisions. The leaders and managers are just not, may I say, committed to consistently applying the knowledge. And they fool themselves into thinking our employees don’t see what’s going on.” Commitment looked exhausted. This was odd, considering that McNally had heard Commitment was typically full of energy and enthusiasm. “One more question,” McNally said. “Do you know who might have killed Change?” “I truly don’t,” replied Commitment earnestly. “It’s hard for me to believe that people wouldn’t be committed to Change given what he was trying to do.” Once again they shook hands, and Commitment left the room. Reflections on Culture and Commitment (#ulink_11cec386-869f-596a-b458-88c761f65975) TAKING a break from the interviews, McNally stepped outside the office, lit a cigar and thought about what he had learned from Culture and Commitment. He wrote in his notebook some ideas about what he’d learned. CULTURE While Culture could readily recite the formal organizational values that were displayed on posters throughout the organization, she wasn’t really in tune: She did not understand the real values of the organization—the predominant attitudes, beliefs and behavior patterns that characterized the organization. When there is a disconnect between stated values and the way an organization actually operates, the values posted on the wall are disregarded. Employees become skeptical, even cynical, about leaders who say one thing and do another. The real culture and values always speak louder than the stated ones. Change would have been better off spending his time trying to understand and align himself with the real culture and values of ACME than seeking advice from Culture. COMMITMENT Commitment is an interesting character: He knows that people are more likely to buy in to a decision that they’ve influenced than a decision imposed on them by others. He also knows that uncovering the predictable concerns people have in the face of Change allows the concerns to be addressed, increasing both trust and buy-in. Despite his passion, Commitment was not able to convince the leaders of the organization to act on his knowledge. As a result, the people left out of influencing Change reminded the leaders that they could derail or even kill him. Were Culture and Commitment viable suspects? At this point in the investigation, McNally didn’t know. He had more questions than answers. Did Change understand Culture well enough to align with her or try to change her? Did the senior leaders understand that while it is true that decisions can be made faster when fewer people are involved, such decisions do not usually translate into faster, better or more sustainable integration of Change because there’s no Commitment without involvement? Did those leaders who knew a lot about Culture and Commitment do everything they could to help Change become a real part of the organization? Suspect #3: Sponsorship (#ulink_da473426-d754-50c5-8e2b-84e5101b649d) SPENCE Sponsorship was a walking advertisement in a men’s fashion magazine. From his shined shoes to his perfect hair, he hadn’t missed a single detail. Agent McNally glanced at his own wrinkled shirt, loosened tie and dull black shoes, and made a mental note that he could not allow himself to dislike Sponsorship because of his image. Dispassionately, McNally asked, “So, what do you do here in the organization?” “One of the main jobs I have,” replied Sponsorship, “is to be the executive sponsor of a Change’s major effort here and ensure we have a Change Leadership Team that works well together. What I mean is that for Change to have a major success at ACME, there must be one person—someone in an influential position—who takes what I call ownership of the Change. To that end, our organization is structured so that I am the one to whom most departments eventually report. Granted, I have directors and managers who take care of the day-to-day operations. But the staff here is keenly aware of my position. If I endorse, shall we say, a project, staff members know that it’s going to happen—one way or another.” McNally took a mental note that in Sponsorship’s opening discourse he used the word I six times in six sentences. “So how many Change initiatives have you had in the past year?” asked McNally. Sponsorship did not hesitate. “Four,” he said. With virtually no attempt to mask his sarcasm, McNally asked, “And other than relying on your status and position, what did you actually do that might be perceived as true sponsorship?” Sponsorship looked puzzled and responded, “I organized meetings and communicated my expectations.” There was a long pause. Finally McNally prompted, “And what else?” “I have directors and managers to take it from there.” “How well did you know Change?” “Oh, we were good friends. We played some golf and every once in a while we would get together for a game of racquetball.” “What about your professional relationship?” “Certainly at these meetings I would put Change front and center. I would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was behind Change one hundred percent.” “Then you would let your directors and managers take it from there?” McNally asked. “Well, yeah. To deal with Change is one of the things I pay them for.” “Let me ask you a question,” McNally said. “Married?” “No.” “All right. Let’s say you have a girlfriend who one day tells you she loves you. After that day, you barely talk except when you say hello as you pass in the hall. Is that a relationship you think is going to work out?” “Well, no, probably not.” “Do you see the connection?” asked McNally. Sponsorship, looking puzzled, did not respond. McNally lost his patience. “Look, you cannot expect Change to be successful based on putting him front and center in a few meetings!” Weighing his words carefully, McNally stood up and began pacing the room. “You’re overestimating the power of your words. As Sponsorship, you must do more than introduce Change. You must be visible and supportive way beyond the introductory meetings. Your actions are much more powerful than your words. You must remain connected to Change throughout the change process. It’s your role to get Aidan Accountability and Isabella Incentive involved. What you reinforce is three times more powerful than what you say. Do you understand?” McNally looked over at Sponsorship, who seemed mesmerized by his own reflection in the window of the interrogation room. “Do you understand?” repeated McNally, raising his voice. Sponsorship turned and looked at him. “I never thought that much about what I had to do to help Change succeed,” he replied with sincerity in his voice. “I guess I thought that because of my position in the organization, I could get people to buy in to Change by just making an announcement.” Spence Sponsorship’s comments were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Much to McNally’s chagrin, Sponsorship took the call and left the conference room. McNally sighed. It had been almost impossible to get on this suspect’s calendar and McNally had no idea when he’d see him again. Suspect #4: Change Leadership Team (#ulink_b69a50f6-ce6a-55f8-bbbf-5d33a1ea8e78) AGENT McNally pulled out his little black notebook and looked at the list. So far he had interviewed Carolina Culture, Chase Commitment and Spence Sponsorship. Next on the list was Chester of the Change Leadership Team. McNally knew from previous cases that a Change Leadership Team was a key ingredient to integrating Change into the organization. The members of this group were chosen because of their influence in the organization. Quite often, the members of the Change Leadership Team had positional power—that is, their title or position in the organization caused people to pay attention to them, but this was not always the case. A wise leader forming a Change Leadership Team would also include informal leaders from all levels of the organization, people with strong technical or people skills in the area in which Change was going to be introduced. For Change to succeed, lots of voices needed to make the case for Change. As McNally entered the room, he had no doubt as to who was sitting at the opposite end of the table—in the same place where Change had died. Chester of the Change Leadership Team was massive. His biceps had to be three times the size of a normal man’s. Where his shoulders intersected with his head, there was very little evidence of a neck. Agent McNally introduced himself by first and last name and Mr. Change Leadership Team responded in kind. “Look,” he added, “most folks just call me Pecs.’” He tightened his pectoral muscles, straining the confines of his pullover shirt. “Feel free to call me ‘Pecs’ if you like.” McNally was reminded that he really should start making it to the gym as he had resolved to do last New Year’s Day. “Okay, Pecs, how well did you know Change?” McNally inquired. “Fairly well, I would say,” replied Pecs. “Change had been here only five or six months and he needed to be elevated in the organization. He needed to be seen by others as important. So that was my job, you know, to hold Change up.” “Did that get old for you, holding him up like that all the time? That must have been tiring,” said McNally. “That’s one way to look at it, I guess. But I really considered it to be a free workout. See these biceps?” said Pecs, flexing them. “I put about two inches on them after Change got here.” McNally noted Pecs’s unabashed self-confidence. “Hey, you mind if I get a bottled water?” Pecs asked as he eyed the small refrigerator in the corner. “Not at all,” said McNally. “We’ll send the bill to Budget.” They both laughed. When Pecs got up and walked over to get his water, Agent McNally just about fell out of his chair. From the waist up Pecs could double for a world-class bodybuilder, but below the waist he had—well, what came to McNally’s mind were pencil legs. McNally had in his head the image of poodle legs walking around with a pit bull’s torso. Pecs got his water and returned to his seat. This new view of Pecs led McNally to change his original line of questioning. “So your main job was to hold Change up?” he prompted. “That’s right,” replied Pecs with what seemed to be a note of pride. “And who carried him out into the organization?” asked McNally. “I don’t know what you mean.” “It’s a simple question. Who carried him out into the organization?” Pecs looked perplexed and was silent. McNally knew from experience that it takes a leadership team to carry Change out into the organization if you expect Change to be effective. He recalled an organization he had worked with recently that understood this. They were introducing a Change and had put together a leadership team composed of members who had successfully led Changes in the past. These people had the time needed to lead Change, were highly skilled, communicated well and were diverse enough to avoid groupthink and introduce and integrate Change throughout the organization. In short, they had the talent to carry Change forward. McNally went on. “It’s one thing to hold Change up all day and it is another to carry him out into the organization, to interact with the people who may be affected by him.” “Look,” said Pecs with a reddening face, “I pulled my weight when it came to Change.” “From an outsider looking in,” McNally retorted, “it looks more like you used Change to benefit your own agenda—to build and flex your own muscles. But you really didn’t think about what Change or the organization needed.” McNally continued, “Perhaps my last statement was a bit strong, but if you don’t mind me saying so, it’s obvious you’ve worked very hard to build your upper-body strength, and I’m sure to some degree you had Change’s and the organization’s welfare in mind. But I just can’t see how you could consistently carry Change out into the organization without stopping frequently for breaks.” Pecs reluctantly admitted, “You’re right. I’ve been out of balance. But when I look in the mirror, I just see myself from the waist up. If I don’t see my flaws, then I don’t have to deal with them. I’m not one to blame others. That’s truly not my style. Spence Sponsorship talks about putting a team together every time a new Change comes, but somehow the responsibility always seems to come back to me.” This was just what Agent McNally had suspected. Taking pity on Pecs, McNally said, “It’s too late for this Change. He is dead and gone. But another Change will come along and you can start working out your lower body. You can get ready to carry Change throughout the organization rather than just pumping him up a few times and then disappearing. The key is balance—doing some of the heavy lifting at the front end and then continuing to support Change throughout the change process.” Pecs nodded and said, “Thanks.” With a note of concern he asked, “Are you charging me?” “I’m not charging anyone until the investigation is complete.” “Are we done?” asked Pecs. “For now. You’re not planning on going anywhere, are you?” “Just to the gym,” said Pecs with a hint of a smile. “I’ve got some squats to do.” Suspect #5: Communication (#ulink_a38de0c9-e4a2-56a3-890a-345d94940ab8) A FEW minutes after Pecs left, Clair Communication knocked lightly on the conference room door and entered the room. McNally stood and said, “Hello, I’m Agent Mike McNally. Thank you for your time.” Communication responded with an almost imperceptible smile and a polite nod of her head. Her black hair was shoulder length and she wore full-framed black glasses. They settled into their respective chairs and McNally said, “I suppose you know why I’ve asked to talk with you.” Communication nodded. “Can you describe your working relationship with Change?” McNally asked. She responded in a whisper, “You’ll have to forgive me, I have laryngitis and—” McNally interrupted, “Would you prefer to postpone the interview?” “No, no,” she whispered. “It’s sort of a chronic condition for me.” Communication continued, “Change and I worked together on a few projects. He asked for my help in getting the word out to people who needed to be involved.” “Were you able to help him?” McNally inquired. Communication cupped her hand to her ear. “I’m sorry could you repeat the question? The batteries on my hearing aid went dead a while ago and I haven’t had time to replace them.” Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». 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