6. Feedback

Driving back from the visit to Kepper, Quinn turned onto Thomas Boulevard and parked in front of the Beckley home, a classic American foursquare craftsman house. One could imagine it new in the late 1800s, projecting confidence in the future.

Alex asked, “What are you hearing from my team in your interviews?”

“Do you want to go through this now, Alex? It’s been a big day for you already.”

“I want to hear it—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

“Well, then, why don’t we go inside? My friend Ken Blanchard calls feedback ‘the breakfast of champions.’ I have my notes with me. If you will make the tea, I will provide the feedback.” The two men went inside, chatted of this and that while making their tea, and then sat down together.

“I’m ready,” Alex said, but his body said, “I’m nervous.”

Quinn began. “It is clear to everyone that you bring energy and drive to Beckley. But the practices you brought to the company carried unintended consequences.”

“Ouch, that sounds bad.” Alex winced.

“Your intentions were good—everyone recognizes that.” Quinn reached in his briefcase and pulled out a folder. “I interviewed all the members of your senior team to get their very best thinking on several key purpose and performance questions, and I learned that they have common perceptions about what’s working and what isn’t. Naturally, I also got some outlier responses, and those can be very helpful. But first let’s look at the strengths that were described, then we’ll look at what’s not working.

“Strengths included a near-unanimous value for hard work, a tradition of customer service, a culture of innovation, a desire to grow, and a willingness to change. Your team members believe in the values upon which the company was founded and feel a strong sense of calling to a higher purpose that the business can fulfill.” Quinn looked over his reading glasses at Alex. “But there has been some erosion of the focus on values and purpose lately.”

Alex flinched a little but invited Quinn to go on. “Tell me more about what isn’t working.”

“Okay, here are my notes.” Quinn handed Alex a report with the feedback organized under the following headings: Goal Setting, Collaboration and Internal Competition, Learning from Results, Customer Focus, and Financial Focus. Quinn navigated through the report, underlining key points as he went, and together they read and discussed each topic.

“First, I asked how the company currently set goals and learned that specific measurable goals are set for individuals throughout the company. Your good intention was to focus individual efforts and raise performance throughout the organization. However, too many goals, some contradictory to each other, led to confusion and discouragement.

“My recommendation to you is to put in place fewer, more focused and mutually shared goals, organized under one Greater Goal. Be equally clear about the values Beckley holds. Do good and do well.”

Quinn added, “Establishing the Greater Goal will help here.

“Competition,” Quinn said as he tapped on the next sheet with his pen. “You introduced internal competition between teams and divisions. You intended to create a climate of friendly competition. However, lots of unfriendly competition emerged. You have the beginning of a win-lose culture.” Quinn looked over his glasses again. Alex was getting familiar with that look. “And this may sting a little, Alex. Some on your team said it seemed to be about your winning, your succeeding, perhaps at the expense of others.”

Alex sat back in his chair. He contemplated the ceiling awhile before he answered. “You’re right, Quinn. That does sting. It hurts because it has some truth to it. I see now that it’s not about my winning. It’s not even about me at all. It’s about helping everyone here succeed. Let me start there. What else can I do?”

Quinn tapped the paper again. “Here’s the next recommendation: put in place interlocking shared goals. This will lead to collaboration instead of competition and to a win-win culture. Hold yourself and other leaders to the standard of serving others, not being ‘self-serving.’”

Quinn went on. “Next finding. Your frequent after-action project and performance reviews focused mostly on the negative, on shortfalls and gaps. After-action reviews are generally a very good idea, Alex. But the unintended effect from overfocusing on the deficits has led to less risk taking and initiative in the company. I’d recommend that you focus specifically on identifying successes. Celebrate successes and try to understand why they happened; then build on those successes.

“And here is the last key finding, Alex,” Quinn said. “Bottom-line profitability is paramount, overriding all other considerations. Your team pointed out, I would say ‘admitted,’ that the singular pursuit of profitability undermines long-term strategic thinking and results in cutting corners and may even lead to managing the numbers over telling the truth.” Quinn had that look again over his glasses. “Dangerous stuff. My recommendation is to focus on building a healthy, growing, enduring company under the banner of a longer-term Greater Goal. Reconfirm your values. A strategy that is based on values and aligned to a Greater Goal will yield long-term sustainable profits.”

Alex absorbed the words. “Ouch, this is painful. But frankly, this helps a lot, Quinn. How do we get back on track?”

“We are already on that journey. You will find that these ‘new practices,’ and a whole lot more, are embedded in the Star Model. Your team is ready. In fact all of this was proposed by them in the interviews. What does that tell you?”

“That I have a better team than I deserve,” Alex observed.

The men talked for another hour before Quinn said goodbye. On his way home, Quinn called Kevin. “I would say that he passed a key test today. He owned the feedback and is ready to go.”

As Alex prepared to go to sleep in his makeshift bedroom, he picked up the picture of Rachel. No matter what, tomorrow night he would hobble up the stairs and say good night.

But tonight, he would pack Rachel’s lunch. He placed a note inside the bag and left the lunch on the kitchen table.

Rachel,
How about another chance?
I love you,
Dad

Alex had no idea how Rachel would respond to his request. It mattered a lot to him, but he was willing to wait for an answer and to keep trying to connect.

Tomorrow Alex was returning to his office at Beckley Medical for the first time since the accident. He felt a mix of emotions: fear, gratitude—a fresh start.

Sleep did not come easily.