Conscious Accountability: Deepen Connections, Elevate Results

CHAPTER 7

Noticing

Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine in yourself, so that you can hear it in others.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN

In 2007, Peter Boyd was hired as CEO of Virgin Mobile South Africa. Not too long after settling into the role, he received a number of reports from supervisors who were frustrated because workers were arriving late, sometimes multiple times a week. The behavior continued even after warnings were issued. Some supervisors advocated for taking a more punitive approach with these employees. However, Peter noticed that no one seemed to have a clear understanding of an important question: Why were these employees frequently arriving late?

So he began asking them directly about their experiences. The initial responses ...