About the time Ed began getting restless, a family-owned
firm in the same industry was looking for new blood. The
CEO, the grandson of the founder, was thinking of retirement,
and there was no one to whom he could hand the reins. He
wanted to bring someone in as a vice president, get to know
him, and if all went well, turn over the firm to him within two
or three years. Although the firm was based in Minneapolis,
the executive search firm found Ed in New York. Ed saw the
move to Minneapolis as his shortcut to the top.
He handled the job-hop as efficiently as he handled every-
thing else. He moved his family into a bigger and better house
in Edina, moved himself into a big corner office with a view of
a lake, and seemed to adjust to the slower Midwestern rhythm
without missing a beat.
But he was, if anything, tougher than before, coming down
harder than ever on people who failed to please him. The
more-relaxed Minnesotans in the office made fun of him pri-
vately, nicknamed him “the Brooklyn Bomber,” but when he
said jump, they jumped.
After Ed had been in Minneapolis about a year, Baxter, the
CEO, took him to lunch and offered him the COO spot. Ed
was pleased, but not surprised. No one worked harder than he
did, no one could have learned more about the company than
he had, and no one deserved it more. The sky was the limit
for the Bomber now. Baxter and Ed were a great team. Baxter,
genial and encouraging, steered the company, while Ed,
tougher than ever, took care of the nuts and bolts. And the
dirty work.
Baxter decided that Ed was indeed the fellow to replace him
when he retired, and he announced the decision to the fam-
ily—who were also the board of directors. For the first time in
On Becoming a Leader