Becoming A Top Manager. Kaiser Kevin

sectors, to weather off the cyclicality of trading and position the company on the Opex Spending Stream of our clients. My proposal was supported and raised to our Board, who turned it down when the underlying investment requirements were presented to them. I took the decision to leave, as I believed that I could not continue serving the same original vision. My boss followed suit a year or so later. In 2001, I was called back to rejoin the same company and the new established Board gave me the go-ahead to launch the same strategy presented to their predecessors three years earlier. The toughest part from thereon was gaining the minds of the colleagues to help build up a whole new organization. My ex-boss rejoined us a year later and we formed a team with distinct responsibilities, his was keeping the Board in line with the plan, and mine was developing the business, running the new operations launched, and getting the organization in harmony.’

      ‘Even though the need for change may be there, it usually takes lots of meetings and conversations to open eyes, cross conservative mindsets, and achieve radical change. Keep explaining your idea. Keep your message alive. If it's worthwhile, eventually someone will pick it up and support you.’

      ‘Cutting off the weak branches is a tough thing to do.’

      ‘I am constantly amazed at the stranglehold that Wall Street and, many times, kids a couple of years out of school have on our ability to sacrifice short-term for long-term value growth.’

      ‘Reactions are almost always ‘I hear you but you don't understand the big picture’ or similar.’

      6. Challenge in private, not publicly; don't undermine or ‘take on’ your boss; understand that even if you present your position well, it still may be rejected.

      ‘On topics where you know that a challenge to the decision is political suicide, and/or that the arguing against is a lost cause anyhow, then my argumentation might not be as firm.’

      ‘Any discussion and/or challenging of an opinion will have to happen behind closed doors. When the doors open again, then it's “United we stand”.’

      ‘I did everything I could, including putting together a detailed report, inviting other people from other departments or external advisors, and using upper management influence. It sometimes worked, sometimes not.’

      ‘Even when the decision is against your opinion, executive orders sometimes have to be taken.’

      ‘We almost always find a mutual compromise. But when we don't, we follow his opinion.’

      ‘There were two separate instances in which I tried to shift management views and was overruled. In the first, the potential consequences were not financial, so I let it go and accepted the team decision, then kept my mouth shut when things turned out exactly as I had predicted. In the second instance, once management had made the decision, I called and e-mailed various higher levels of management to try to intercept the decision (without being disloyal), since the consequences were more serious. The decision was unfortunately maintained and a massive cluster-f@&k ensued. (Un)fortunately there was no witch hunt to find those responsible. It's important to pick your battles, play by the rules and not hold a grudge when things go wrong.’

      ‘It is okay to voice your opinion in one-to-one discussions. To take the dialogue in a meeting with a bigger audience has seldom turned out successful.’

       Our Thoughts

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