Page 170 - Executive Warfare

EXECUTIVE W ARF ARE

not going up or fund-raising is stalled, work is proceeding incredibly
slowly, information is being filtered to the point of meaninglessness—and
you are puzzled as to why.
Generally, there are two explanations: Either people do not have the
resources they need, or you have a blood clot. A blood clot is somebody
who is trying to stop your initiatives in order to undermine you, rebel
against a decision you have made, or cut you out of the decision making
altogether.
At the higher levels of organizational life, the blood clots generally
know exactly what they are doing, and they can be really sophisticated
about blocking your ideas. The trick is finding them.
Unfortunately, if you ask why work is progressing so slowly in a big staff
meeting, somebody will inevitably make you a chart with lots of dots and
bars on it and try to mess with your head.
Far better to say to a trusted aide,“Go
find out the answers for real.” Even
A BLOOD CLOT IS
more effective is to meet with the six
SOMEBODY WHO IS
people who actually do the work in
TRYING TO STOP
question. Sometimes I would just walk
YOUR INITIATIVES
down to a department where I sensed
IN ORDER TO
some trouble and ask the people there
UNDERMINE YOU,
point-blank why they weren’t getting
REBEL AGAINST A
more done. I’d cause a panic and a stir,
DECISION YOU
but in all likelihood, I’d find out what
HAVE MADE, OR
was going on.
CUT YOU OUT OF
Or I’d demand that the six people
THE DECISION
producing too little and their boss come
MAKING
to my office. Then I’d ask the simple
ALTOGETHER.
question, “How do you spend your
day?”If the staffers were afraid to talk to
me, it generally meant that their boss was intimidating them. This was a
good hint that I might have a dangerous blood clot.

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