Engagement

Interlude 3Learning with Tenacity

VICKY APPROACHES THE NEW JOB IN DALLAS with the skills of a good detective and the calm persistence of someone who enjoys puzzles. Both serve her well. Starting a new job is difficult under the best of circumstances. A turnaround assignment with an underperforming team and a bullying boss could easily become a train wreck. Anyone in Vicky's shoes might feel tempted to grab at quick fixes or succumb to doubts about the wisdom of taking on Dallas. But Vicky stays focused and open: determined to get a full and accurate picture of what she is up against. She surfaces new information and different concerns in each meeting and demonstrates patience and a dogged focus on learning about her coworkers, herself, and the situation.

Vicky's approach provides an instructive example of using the SURE model. In the early going, she tenaciously embraces learning and puts particular emphasis on the first two rules of engagement, using insights gained from them to inform her choices in the other two.

1. Stop, Look, and Learn: Questions, Answers, More Questions

   In her early days in Dallas, Vicky focuses on studying the system and the individuals, probing how others see themselves, each other, and the situation. In talking to Michael and members of her team, she hears conflicting stories about what's wrong, what needs to be fixed, and what she should do. She works at making sense of all this and avoids quick judgments about who or what is right. She tests her assumptions ...