He writes some more, then stares at his notes. "It is fair," he says, still studying his notes. "Alright, I'll pay you all three bonuses if you achieve both objectives. Now, how will you do it?"

My impression is that Peter loves to manipulate and incite conflict. Following this instinct, I ask, "Who are the top executives at Doc's Place?"

"Phil Garrett, President; Kerry North, Vice President of Casino Operations; Paul Manookian, Director of Marketing; and Max Book, Director of Human Resources."

"On my first day, bring the executives to Las Vegas for a meeting with you at Ferro headquarters. Before they leave, they must propose a plan to maintain steady profit at seasonally adjusted levels during layoffs and remodeling to get their bonuses. Tell them their compensation plan depends upon that criterion. Give me three days: a day to evaluate the second-tier executives, a day to draft plans and a day to get budget approvals." Pausing a moment, I ask, "Questions so far?"

Closing his eyes briefly, he asks, "What will their three-day absence accomplish?" By the time he finishes his question, he is staring at me.

"The executives return to find me and my plans part of the infrastructure. During the next two weeks, Ill find a reason to work from home as I demand the resources in my approved budget. Meanwhile, you maintain pressure on them to keep profits steady."

"What will your plans accomplish? What will those plans require?"

Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees, stare into his eyes and say, "I'll select an intervention that produces immediate improvements to profitable operation. Then I'll propose to begin that intervention with casino executives and managers. The chief executive and operating officers will object to my meddling with revenue, of course, to the point of threatening to resign. Ignore their objections and insist that I proceed."

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