Why leaders must stop serving warm Cool Aid in the era of Internet of Things

Blowing smoke up our ass?

VP of  Internet of Things, Comrade Carl Marks, started off the week like a "bull in a China shop" in our management meeting, as my late Dad Pierre Elliot used to say. First, a bit of background.

We have a new product which Comrade Carl claims "is a pearl", yet our clients believe that "the product is a piece of shit", as it were.

Comrade Carl had claimed at first that the product is stable and the only issue is a "service issue" as well as the lack of client sophistication. Comrade Carl has had to change his "tune".

Under pressure to find a solution, Comrade Carl spelt out the strategy of "sinking some of our products' liabilities into the platform of Internet of Things, so as to move on to newer and greater things". No one really understood what Comrade Carl meant except me; as HR manager, I adopt slogans quickly.

(My coach, who pumps gas, told me that Comrade Carl needs new strong medication.)

Today, at the management meeting, CEO Stan attacked Comrade Carl, Stan claimed "we do not have time to wait for your cock-and-bull vision to mature, Comrade  Carl. We have numbers to meet, for Christ's sake. This is not a publicly owned Russian utility - we need profit, not vision. You are "blowing smoke up our ass, Comrade Carl. Why don't you emigrate to Russia, or Ukraine?"

Comrade Carl winked at me. Then Carl spoke  "Stan, just look how quickly Gloria aligned the ladies of HR department to whistle and sloganize about the Internet of Things. It's easy Stan. Just go the Board and ask for more time and money to support the new vision. Don't be frightened Stan-lead. No one drinks the old kool-aide any more. Lead Stan! Gloria should be your role model! "

HR is a role model for early adaptation