Managing in the Gray
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factor was that Fletcher had given himself a 3.0 performance
rating, so he knew he wasn’t doing well.
Friedman’s situation wouldn’t surprise Machiavelli. Her
company described itself as a meritocracy with high perfor-
mance standards and a sharp focus on customer needs. This
is what Friedman was told, and what she hoped for, when she
joined the company. Instead, she found that several powerful
people in the organization took care of themselves and their
pals, tried hard to settle scores, and pressured other employ-
ees to play these games. As a result, even though Friedman
wanted to give Fletcher the rating he deserved, she knew that
political realities pointed her in the opposite direction.
In essence, the third questio ...