Leadership Transitions: The Watkins Collection (4 Items)

CHAPTER 7

Build Your Team

When Liam Geffen was appointed to lead a troubled business

unit of a process automation company, he knew he was in for an

uphill climb. The extent of the challenge became clearer when he

read the previous year’s performance evaluations for his new team.

Everyone was either outstanding or marginal; there was nobody

in between. It seemed his predecessor had played favorites.

Conversations with his new direct reports and a thorough

review of operating results confirmed Liam’s suspicion that the

performance evaluations were skewed. In particular, the VP

of marketing seemed reasonably competent but by no means

a minor god. Unfortunately, he believed his own press. The

VP of sales struck Liam as a solid performer who had been ...