1. Setting the Stage

The introductory chapter is designed to set the stage for this book. I begin with a case example of a leadership team that needed to create a culture change in a workforce for which they had a broken relationship. This problem was of their own creation—and yet they still needed a culture change if the company were to succeed in a winner-take-all government contract competition. I also introduce the notion that it is only with the permission of people that any significant change can occur, and that it was up to this leadership team to see their role in creating and addressing the people-issues they helped to create in order to do this. That is the point—we need to understand the critical role that our people play in our success…and our role as leaders in securing their support now and tomorrow.