Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult

Chapter 3Truth

The Parking Garage

Ruth rode the elevator to the parking garage. She had tried to focus on her work after the meeting with Paula but just could not bring herself to answer the emails from the rest of the team and the board with all the thoughts about Paula swirling in her head.

How would she explain her president leaving right before the new product launch?

What would the other team members think of her leadership?

What would this do to her reputation with the board?

She wanted to minimize the damage and protect herself. She knew that changes would need to happen. Ruth did not know all the steps she would need to take, but one of the things she would do immediately was to mandate that all the executive leaders work from the office. No more remote work—that had to stop. She had long thought that this was one of the primary factors causing the team's performance to lag, and she was going to put a stop to that quickly. She needed to see everyone working in the office to know that they were actually doing the things that needed to be done for the company's success.

Ruth walked through the parking garage toward her car and clicked her key fob to unlock the doors. The usual chirp that signified the doors unlocking did not occur. She pressed the button on the fob again. Again, nothing happened. She walked up next to the door and tried one more time. Still nothing.

Ruth was wondering what to do next when a small vehicle pulled up behind her. There was a rotating yellow ...