his life, Ed ran into something he couldn’t tough his way
through. Some members of the family board told Baxter that
Ed was too tough, too rough on his fellow executives. They
would not approve his appointment unless he improved his
“people skills.”
Baxter gave Ed the bad news. If Ed was disturbed—and he
was—so was the CEO. Baxter was ready to retire, and, further,
he’d chosen Ed as his successor and begun to groom him for
the job. Now his orderly plan had fallen apart. At this point
Baxter called a friend who recommended that he hire me as a
consultant. After outlining his dilemma, he asked me if I’d
work with Ed to help him improve his people skills. He said Ed
was willing to do whatever it took to secure the CEO slot.
After a lot of conversation and thought, I agreed. Although I
had certain reservations, it was an interesting task, and I had
enough other business taking me to Minneapolis that it didn’t
mean rearranging my life drastically. Still, I wondered whether
anyone could effect what amounted to a basic personality
change in a 55-year-old man.
On my next trip to Minneapolis, I met Ed. I spent a couple of
days shadowing him, watching everything he did and how he did
it. On the following trip, I interviewed everyone who worked
with Ed and asked him to take a series of personality tests.
Everyone was, of course, operating out of self-interest. Anx-
ious to retire, Baxter wanted his successor in place ASAP. The
recalcitrant board members wanted a way out of this difficult
situation, which I would have to give them, whether I suc-
ceeded or failed in working a change in Ed. Ed, who was never
anything but cooperative, wanted the job.
After a while, it became clear to me that everything every-
one said about Ed was true. He was very competent and very
Mastering the Context