Green told a close friend, “It’s clear that Frank intends to get rid of me. He’s just putting his argument together.”
Green’s Next Move
As Green entered I-93 on the way to his new home in North Andover, he replayed in his head the series of events and subsequent emails. Green recognized that he had not paid much attention to office politics when he’d taken on his job. He had met one-on-one with McDonald only twice since he moved to the corporate headquarters. He had been preoccupied with the job itself, and with living up to McDonald’s expectations. Now it seemed as though he had no allies in the company. McDonald’s email today struck a nerve. Because McDonald sponsored his promotion, Green had taken for granted that she would watch out for him. If Davis was indeed trying to fire him, Green wondered who McDonald would side with.
Several questions persisted in Green’s mind. What steps should he take next? Set up a meeting with McDonald? Write McDonald a detailed memo? Do what Davis tells him and keep his mouth shut, even though he was convinced that the forecasts were inflated? Was it his responsibility to expose Davis’s overstated projections? Maybe contact a head hunter and start looking for another job? He had to sort through before he responded to McDonald’s email. Next week, his first mortgage payment was due and the new furniture he’d picked out was scheduled to be delivered. This was certainly not a good time to be out of work, for 2008 was shaping up to be a very stressful year for Thomas Green.
For the exclusive use of J. Zhou, 2018.
This document is authorized for use only by Jing Zhou in Leadership-1-1 taught by Chenwei Li, San Francisco State University from January 2018 to July 2018.
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For the exclusive use of J. Zhou, 2018.
This document is authorized for use only by Jing Zhou in Leadership-1-1 taught by Chenwei Li, San Francisco State University from January 2018 to July 2018.
2095 | Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis
8 BRIEFCASES | HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
Exhibit 2 Relevant Bios
Thomas Green (Age 28) – Senior Market Specialist
Thomas Green began his career as an account executive for National Business Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia. He spent six years as an account executive in the Banking Division, selling ATMs to regional banks throughout the Southeast. In March 2007 he joined Dynamic Displays as an account executive in their Travel and Hospitality Division. He is currently the division’s senior market specialist for the Eastern region of North America. Green graduated summa cum laude from University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2001.
Frank Davis (Age 45) – Marketing Director
Frank Davis is a 17-year veteran of Dynamic Displays. He joined the company in 1990 as an account executive with the Financial Services Solutions Division. He has also held positions as an account executive, market specialist, and senior market specialist with the Travel and Hospitality Division. Frank Davis is currently the marketing director for the Travel and Hospitality Division. Prior to joining Dynamic Displays, Davis worked as a sales representative for Advanced Telecommunications Services selling PBX phone systems to large corporations. He holds a bachelors degree in history from New York University (1986) and an Executive MBA from Suffolk University, Sawyer Business School (2002).
Shannon McDonald (Age 42) – Division Vice President
Reporting to the Dynamic Displays Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Sam Costello, Shannon McDonald was promoted to Division Vice President in November of 2006 and is responsible for all aspects of the Travel and Hospitality Business. Previously, McDonald was the director of national sales for the Travel and Hospitality Division (2000-2006). She was responsible for driving Dynamic Displays’ self-service business with the largest airline carriers in the United States. Ms. McDonald has also held positions as a strategic consultant with Chicago Consulting Group’s Travel and Tourism practice and as a marketing analyst with Quest Airlines. She holds a bachelors degree in marketing from the University of Georgia (1987) and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management (1992).
For the exclusive use of J. Zhou, 2018.
This document is authorized for use only by Jing Zhou in Leadership-1-1 taught by Chenwei Li, San Francisco State University from January 2018 to July 2018.
Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis | 2095
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BRIEFCASES 9
Exhibit 3 10/19/07 Email Regarding Green’s Performance
FROM: “FRANK DAVIS” <FDAVIS@dynamicdisplays.com >
TO: “SHANNON MCDONALD” <smcdonald@dynamicdisplays.com >
CC: “THOMAS GREEN” <TGREEN@dynamicdisplays.com >
SENT: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2007 3:48:32 pM
SUBJECT: THOMAS GREEN
Since Thomas assumed the position of senior market specialist on September 10, 2007, numerous incidents of poor judgment and questionable behavior have concerned me. Thomas and I talked about most of these incidents as they occurred. However, I concluded that we needed to have an overarching discussion about his performance and to develop a strategy for improving his work style. At that meeting, held October 15, 2007, we reviewed a range of problems. Among them:
1. Thomas fails to inform me of his plans and keep me updated on his schedule.
2. He does not follow up when information is requested of him.
3. Thomas’s lack of enthusiasm is troubling. He has a right and an obligation to question aspects of our plans if he finds them illogical or unfeasible, but the kind of negativity he displayed in the Budget Plan meeting on October 8 is dangerous to the organization and unacceptable to me.
Thomas seemed to accept my criticisms in a thoughtful manner and assured me he will do what is necessary to succeed in his position. He and I plan to discuss his overall performance again in mid- November. Meanwhile, he’ll be expected to take the following corrective measures:
1. Plan to make focused calls when dealing with market specialists, account executives, and clients. Have a specific communication strategy going into a call, and have all sales collateral and other necessary materials available. Stop making calls purely for the purpose of meeting people.
2. Update Outlook calendar regularly and always return calls from our office promptly.
3. Provide feedback to my requests in a timely manner. Thomas says he now recognizes that my requests are not merely “reminders”; they are a call for information that I genuinely need.
4. Demonstrate a more positive attitude both inside and outside the company.
Frank R. Davis Travel and Hospitality Marketing Director Dynamic Displays 212-314-1420
For the exclusive use of J. Zhou, 2018.
This document is authorized for use only by Jing Zhou in Leadership-1-1 taught by Chenwei Li, San Francisco State University from January 2018 to July 2018.
2095 | Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis
10 BRIEFCASES | HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
Exhibit 4 1/30/08 Email Regarding Green’s Performance
FROM: “FRANK DAVIS” <FDAVIS@dynamicdisplays.com >
TO: “SHANNON MCDONALD” <smcdonald@dynamicdisplays.com >
SENT: WEDNESDAY, January 30, 2008 4:28:12 pM
SUBJECT: THOMAS GREEN
On October 19, 2007, I sent you an email communicating my concerns with Thomas’s attitude and job performance. On January 28, 2008, Thomas and I had another meeting on this subject. I would like to summarize that conversation.
Thomas wastes a great deal of time complaining about the problems of selling to our current and prospective clients and far too little time developing strategic marketing approaches and effective sales tactics. I informed him that his job is to sell the accounts, not to agree with our clients’ assertions about alleged disadvantages of our products or the current excess capacity in the industry.
I told Thomas his lack of effort and enthusiasm are not consistent with the standards of Dynamic Displays and could lead to an outcome he likely would not find pleasant. Thomas then said he felt I was micromanaging his activities. It was here that I think we uncovered the root of the problem. I inquired as to what new or even slightly imaginative marketing approaches he documented in the past five months. His answer was, “None that are documented.” When I see no new targets and no thoughtful, creative marketing, I feel I must micromanage, and I communicated this to Thomas.
I then pulled up several Power Point presentations, spreadsheet models, and associated emails that Michelle Jones, the Western Region senior market specialist, had used to shape her region’s strategy and to support their selling efforts. As we paged through her work, Thomas stated that all those email updates and fancy presentations and models were “political” and didn’t match up well with his personal approach to selling. I told him this was not only good politics, but also proved to his boss that he was working effectively.
Thomas ultimately conceded the mistakes and personal shortcomings that I explained to him.. He pledged to develop creative marketing approaches and keep me updated on his progress. I hope these promises materialize in the next 30 days. If not, I recommend we part ways with Thomas Green and quickly seek out a competent replacement for this extremely important position.
Frank R. Davis Travel and Hospitality Marketing Director Dynamic Displays 212-314-1420
For the exclusive use of J. Zhou, 2018.
