the industry growth rate was at
10 percent. How on earth are we
going to achieve 500 percent growth
within a month?
I composed and encouraged myself
because I felt like I was finally where
everyone has always wanted me an asylum. I waited to hear what
strategies and actions would be put
in place to achieve the numbers.
The CEO said the brands’ main
issue was distribution and if we
sorted it out, the numbers would
surely come. Some distribution
strategies and activities were quickly
discussed and agreed upon. At
that point I quietly ticked the first
McNaughton rule.
At the end of the meeting, we
agreed to come back after a month
for review. I looked at the team’s
faces again and they all seemed
06 MAL 12/16 ISSUE
‘‘In such companies top management does
not know what they are doing, and even if
they know what they are doing, they do not
know what they are doing is wrong and will
never achieve what they want. They don’t
have the capacity to interrogate strategy’s
ability to deliver results.’’
convinced that the task was
surmountable.
I pinched myself just to confirm I
wasn’t dreaming. My boss was left
behind to clear a few issues as I
drove to a nearby restaurant to have
a drink and reminisce what had just
happened.
How on earth can they believe that
it was possible? I quickly checked
my CV again to see if by mistake I
had said I was a sales magician.
Maybe I had applied for a job in the
wrong quarters.
As I was going through the list of
activities proposed, my boss called
me and asked where I was. From my
looks he had noticed my fears and
wanted a de-brief. When he joined
me, I asked if he was serious about
the sales growth.
His affirmation worried me even