Kate knew the work better than anyone in the building.
Fifteen years in commercial HVAC. Top operations manager in the company. So when they handed her a struggling division — two recently lost contracts, a general manager who’d left without notice, technicians walking out the door — everyone agreed she was the right choice.
Including Kate.
During her first week, she did what capable people do. She dove in and tried to fix everything. First in the lot, last out. She answered every call, signed off on every quote, and rode along on three service calls a day.
By Friday she was exhausted. Nothing had changed. Something important was missing.
So Kate tried a fresh approach. She separately asked her three supervisors a simple question: What are we here to do?
- “Win installs. That’s where the money is.”
- “Hang on to the maintenance contracts we have left.”
- “Honestly? Get through the week.”
Three good people. Three different answers. No wonder things were off track.
Kate spent the weekend crafting one clear sentence: We keep our customers’ buildings running, so they never have to worry about us.
Then she developed three non-negotiables:
- Show up when we say.
- Call back the same day.
- Leave it better than we found it.
On Monday, Kate spoke those words to the entire team at the truck-yard huddle. Again on Tuesday. Then Wednesday too. She felt a little foolish, but she stuck with it anyway.
On Thursday, a young technician repeated their purpose back to her. Almost word for word.
For the first time, the team was pointed in the same direction. And then Kate realized something unsettling: she still had no idea why they’d been losing.
Kate isn’t real. Everything she faces is.
Clarity provides focus. It guides where you need to dig deeper.
Would everyone on your team give the same answer to “What are we here to do?”
Coming Next | Episode 2: Curiosity
Tempus Maximize!
