
32 T H E C H A L L E N G E
manager tells people to speak up and then ‘‘executes’’ someone for
doing just that, employees will trust what they see, not what they
hear, and they will act accordingly.
We recently witnessed a healthy display of speaking up at a
weekly staff meeting for one of our clients. While the group discussed
a particularly difficult customer, Tom, the manager, joked, ‘‘Don’t
worry, if he gives us too much trouble, we’ll just sic Lisa on him.’’
Lisa’s job involved approving or denying computer system changes
requested by internal customers and her tough, no-nonsense attitude
has earned her such nicknames as the ‘‘System Cop’’ and,