Roumani says there were times to be ruthless too, especially when it came to unproductive and troublesome employees. “They should be laid off right at the outset, even if it leads to some significant cost for you.” Ultimately, this is a book about leadership. Roumani saw a lot of this at BBSF, which had six chief executives in the eight years from 2011. He concludes too many failed to be “situational”, meaning they could not change their leadership style depending on the situation. This attribute always matters, but in times of trouble it is one that no leader can afford to ignore.
