96 PowerPhrases in Action
the staff would be offended and the other half would need to
be replaced. Kathy understood the culture of the company bet-
ter than the CEO did. In communicating her opinion, Kathy
forgot all that and spoke indirectly. Instead of saying what she
meant, she asked her boss,
Are you sure you want to do that?Her manager said, “Yes, absolutely.” Kathy went on to say,
I wonder if the employees will be happy about it.Her manager replied, “They don’t have to like it—they just
need to be drug-free.” Kathy continued to dance around her
point. She said,
I’m not sure it’s a good idea.Her boss put her pen down and said,
Kathy, what do you mean? What are you trying to tell
me?Finally Kathy Spoke Tall and said,
I see serious risks in that action. I think you don’t know
the culture here. I estimate that half the staff won’t pass
the test. The other half will be offended. Instead of
doing across the board testing, it will be less disruptive
if we implement testing on an as-needed-basis.Kathy’s recommendations were adopted.