The Leadership Star

4CLEAR THE WAY

 

Nearly a hundred people sauntered into the operations centre's cafeteria for my first presentation as the new managing director of the bank's credit card business. Some sat politely in plastic chairs around the lunch tables. Others stood just outside the lunchroom, leaning on the filing cabinets that defined the borders of the breakout area.

A few company veterans, grey‐haired and ‐bearded, stood at the back of the room, arms folded. Their body language made it clear that they had heard it all before. I was conscious that my dark blue suit and tie stood out in a room full of casually dressed people (with the exception of the veterans, who wore the company tie over their short‐sleeved shirts).

I was nervous, but confident that they would soon be as excited as I was about the future.

I launched into my presentation, running through my full‐colour PowerPoint slides. I showed how our business was performing versus the competition, talked up the growth in online sales and committed to building a world‐class, high‐performing culture.

After about 20 minutes, having (I thought) dazzled them with my strategic insights, I smiled in what I thought was my most engaging way, and wrapped up.

‘Okay! Let's open it up,’ I said. ‘Who has questions?’

Silence.

A hundred pairs of eyes stared back at me. The women in the plastic seats looked up pleasantly, and then back down at their feet. The young men behind the filing cabinets shifted nervously, leaning from one arm to another. ...