"How do you involve Edmund in the decision making about solving the problem?" I asked.

"As soon as we have the project specs," Ruben explained, "when we know the outputs and the deadlines, we call a meeting. Edmund is the supervisor, so once we get into production, he is the one to call the shots. So, he is there, at the meeting. He sees all the elements we see, he just cannot connect them together."

"And?"

"We have developed a very thorough system that identifies the constraints and keeps them productive. The metrics are easy to follow and the system makes our throughput very predictable. But Edmund fights the system, ignores the system and almost weekly causes a production snafu that could have been prevented."

"How does he explain the snafu?"

"Usually he manages to jump in and pull the project out of the fire, but not without some overtime and not without putting the project in jeopardy. It's almost like he is proud of the chaos and being the hero."

"He resists everything," Ruben explained. "We cover the same solutions to the same problems. At the time, Edmund finally agrees, but I sense, he agrees only because he can't argue the logic. He goes along with the solution, but two weeks later, the same problem pops up and we start all over again."

"So, you have to step in and it takes up your time?" I asked.

"Worse than that. It's almost underhanded. Behind the scenes, it's like he wants the solution to fail. He doesn't openly sabotage the new method, and I haven't caught him bad-mouthing the process. Sometimes, it's just the way he rolls his eyes in the meeting."

"And what do you say, to those who remain?"

"Be kind," Lydia replied. "For those who remain, be kind. Be kind to those who have to leave. Be kind to those around you.

"Be grateful," she continued. "Give thanks."
__
Tomorrow, the US celebrates the holiday of Thanksgiving. The holiday commemorates a meal of the harvest. Its origin may have been a meal in 1565 in St. Augustine Florida, or another in 1621, Plymouth Plantation. It is a time when families and friends come together to celebrate and give thanks for the world we live in.

Management Skills Blog will return next Monday, December 1, 2008.

"It still feels bad," Lydia explained. "We spent the past ten years building this team, and now, we have to take it apart. I feel bad when I have to tell people they have lost their jobs. I feel bad for the organization. All of our hard work, our capacity, our competence, our place in the market, we have to dismantle."

"And?" I asked.

"And we have to keep on. At the end of the day, life goes on," Lydia admitted.

"What do say to those, you have to disconnect?"

"There is nothing to say. There are no words. I can only give them respect. They have a difficult journey ahead, and they face it alone."

"And what do you say, to those who remain?"

Lydia remembered a year ago. "We brought in our Balance Sheets," she described. "I used to spend time poring over my Income Statement, so understanding the Balance Sheet, I mean, really paying attention to the Balance Sheet, was new to me."

"Why did we do that?" I asked.

"You said that we could still make a profit and go out of business. That, making a profit was important, but elements on the Balance Sheet could be fatal."

"So, what did we focus on?"

"Liquidity. Liquidity. Liquidity," Lydia recited. "Cash, cash flow, accounts receivable, credit."

"And why did we start working on this two years ago?" I reminded her.

"You said if we got to where we are, now, and needed a Line of Credit, the bank would not give us one. Because banks never give you credit when you need it, they only give you credit when you don't need it."