23
Fostering
“Responsible
Freedom” on the
Front Lines
Sooner or later you have to trust your people.
—James Barksdale
The Barksdale Group
Bill had worked during lunch with the client so he could get
back to his hotel to change clothes for an important dinner
meeting in a nearby town. He was staying on one of those
fancy upper floors, concierge level as they liked to call it. By
4:30 P.M., he’d made the quick change and realized he had al-
most half an hour before the client was to pick him up. Having
skipped lunch and with dinner still several hours away, he re-
alized he was starving! Not to worry, he figured. The concierge
floor had a lounge area that provided small sandwiches and
spicy meatballs to guests. A quick snack and a soda would tide
him over.
Alas, ...