Email: from newish VP of Engineering, 5/13/2002... There is a good chance that this email might do one of the following to you: 1) anger, 2) frighten, 3) have a positive impact.

My goal is for #3 to happen but I must say what must be said... Our Delivery organization needs an attitude adjustment.

First, a little perspective...

I have been at <company> for over 10 months now. During that time period, I have sat back and observed a number of interesting things/behaviors. Believe me, I have been on both sides of the "new team being brought in" situation and I realize it isn't overly comfortable for those folks who have been at a company for a while or the new folks coming in. For that reason, I typically will do my best over the first 6 months to be sensitive to the range of actions and emotions that typically go on... This include:

1. Old team thinks the the new team wants to change everything without any good reason; Everything works so why change it?

2. New team thinks the the old team is not opening their minds to new ideas; There is definitely a better way to do things...

Typically, within 6 months, things get better and the old team and the new team eventually work things out and become the "newest" team. I've actually waited an additional 4 months longer than usual and the "newest team" has yet to emerge. This makes me very unhappy.

So, what do i do? Well, this is when I change things the way I want them. I will no longer wait for the correct behaviors to surface.

Here's how it will work from tomorrow forward...

I was once told that there are actually 6 options that a boss and an employee have when they are not in synch:

1. The boss is terminated by his/her boss and the employee gets his/her way.
2. The boss quits and the employees gets his/her way.
3. The boss changes his/her mind and defers control to the employee therefore giving in to his/her way.
4. The employee change his/her behavior and gets in synch with the boss.
5. The employee quits.
6. The boss terminate the employee.

The above has actually held true throughout my career and I suspect it has held true in yours as well. Given the above, I can tell you that #1, #2, and #3 are not going to happen. <VP's boss> is in full support of my actions and I'm committed to making <company> a success by leveraging my knowledge and experience in making Engineering/PS teams successful. So that really leaves the last 3 options. We are now at the point where you and I will be making some decisions.

So what are some of the things that will be happening here from this day forward?

1. We will execute (with extreme prejudice) the plans that have been set forth in our v3.0 architecture. This includes:
   • Anthem architecture and all of its pieces (VTL, Turbine, etc.)
   • Ipedo as the Transaction Engine
   • Oracle as the data warehouse
   • RI as the major piece of Comms
   • JRules as the Rules Engine
2. We will begin doing things the "right way" instead of the "convenient way". This includes:
   • Support a schema/dtd structure that is very close to the standard if not a standard
   • Creating the appropriate documentation before development (Architecture, Functional Spec, etc)
   • Publishing our work to source control
   • Following correct CM protocols
   • Following correct QA methodology
   • Conducting peer reviews

Short-cuts are killing us.

3. We will check our attitudes at the door. I don't require you to like each other but I do require you to work together in an effective manner. You are all owners of this company.
4. We will be acting entrepreneurial. I know many of you have families but we need to commit to long hours and tireless commitment to excellent results. Entrepreneurial companies work nights and weekends to ensure success. Know many of you work hard but I don't get a feeling that we like what we do and are committed to making it successful (<VP's boss> shares my feeling on this one and has gone as far as to prove his suspicions).
5. We will not miss project plan dates. We will give each other support to ensure that we don't.
6. We will make the Sales organizations successful. Without sales, our stock is worth nothing. None of us came here for that result.

Net... net... I'm done with screwing around. Many of you might think I'm a pretty nice guy but you don't want me to feel the way I'm currently feeling for too long. I was brought here to build a successful Engineering (and recently PS) team. <VP's boss> has empowered me to do so in any way that makes sense. We've made some great hires in the Sales, Product Marketing, and PS areas and we won't waste the investment.

So the decision is really yours. The good news is that you are in control of 2 of the 3 remaining aforementioned options... #4 = Change the behavior or #5 = Decide this company is not really where you want to be.

I'm certainly open to answer questions regarding the above but I must warn you... my patience is thin. I suggest you digest the above and schedule time with me tomorrow if you want to talk.

Over and out...

Regards,

<VP of Engineering>

Vice President, Engineering

<the company>

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This email came out on Monday. We all stewed for a few days, but when I came in on Friday, the VP of Engineering and the three senior engineers of the five he had brought with him, had all been fired. He was right about the choices, just not the one that quickly happened.