The Work of High Performance

You're always on the way out, so work accordingly

One to grow on

The executive sits in his corner office talking about "high performance" like the well-paid, well-coiffed televangelist talks about salvation. He has PowerPoint slides and consultant reports to substantiate his faith. The metrics glow on screens around him, holy numbers that measure dedication and worth. In the cubicles below, workers hear about high performance in all-hands meetings where their doomed middle managers speak of operational excellence and maximum effort as if they’re talking through a mouth of marbles into a megaphone aimed at a payphone.