to cut it down to be effective .” So I had to go through a painful process of selecting who would stay on my team and who would go — who would still be at the table and who would be invited to leave . I had to break the news to Brian that he was no longer going to have a chair with the top leadership team . He was actually going to report to one of the people who , up to that point , had been his peer . I eventually got my direct reports down to seven . In such highly charged , vulnerable moments , when there are big issues going on , there is no substitute for face time . I knew this would be a delicate situation for Brian because these changes involved his moving into a totally different place in the organization . I knew that many circumstances surrounding the decision would be difficult for him . I knew that he would feel demoted . I also knew it was best for him , because I knew what he really liked to do and I realized that , whether he knew it or not , this would free him up to pursue his passion . I might have seen that clearly , but it was extremely hard for him to grasp .
In a commitment to clear personal communication with Brian , I carefully explained the decisions and why I had made them . I allowed plenty of time for feedback and questions . When the conversation was over , I was surprised at Brian ’ s reaction . He took it very well , calmly , almost stoically . I remember thinking to myself , “ This doesn ’ t add up . Either this guy is a lot more mature than anybody I ’ ve ever met or something else is going on .” In fact , I was so bewildered that I told him to go home and think about it and asked to meet with him again in a couple of days . I was convinced that a whole minefield of issues was under the waterline — issues that would soon erupt onto the surface . Brian assured me , “ It ’ s fine . I got it . No problem . We don ’ t need to meet again .”
I forced that second meeting a couple of days later . And my gut was right . Brian went home that night and barely slept . Sure enough , issues exploded from under the surface within twenty-four hours . As he was mulling over the implications of my decision in his heart , the ramifications came : “ What are people going to think ? What am I going to do ? I ’ m no longer as important as I was . I have
It ’ s always a good idea to follow your gut perceptions about the people you work with .
been demoted .” He was reeling with emotional confusion . He told me he got up at 3:00 a . m . and wandered the streets of his neighborhood , extremely upset about what I had shared with him . To say the least , he was very angry with me .
Fortunately , I followed up on my intuition . It ’ s always a good idea to follow your gut perceptions about the people you work with . Leaving things alone in hopes that they will resolve themselves is never a good idea . We scheduled the follow-up meeting and finally got to the real issues at hand . I learned a valuable lesson from that episode : don ’ t assume people are going to take what you tell them at face value . Brian did feel devalued . He said , “ Gosh , I ’ m just not as important as I used to be ; this is the
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