Chapter 5 - Focus

Summary

You are on the management floor of a large infrastructure office. The huge conference table is made of beautiful wood with recessed retractable monitors. On the walls hang expensive paintings and a huge plasma screen. The espresso is excellent. An hour-long meeting with the Board of Directors on the topic of strategy adjustment has been scheduled, and only four of the twelve expected attendees have arrived. Fifteen minutes later, the meeting is now underway but key people keep leaving the room to make phone calls. Instead of discussing strategy, those present talk about where they live, problems with the computer network and politics. You stare at the scene in disbelief for a while and then courageously ask about the reasons for a strategy adjustment. Almost immediately, you regret speaking up because it gives rise to a 15-minute monologue by the Chairman, beginning with strategy but then digressing into regulatory frameworks.