Don't Be That Boss: How Great Communicators Get the Most Out of Their Employees and Their Careers

Chapter 5. 11:00 am Customer Standoff: Accept Real Blame but Never Fall on Your Sword

11:05: Mike Readies Louis for Combat

Mike barely has time to hit the restroom and then refill his coffee cup in the break room before Louis flags him down in the hallway.

"We've got Denise Sizemore in 10 minutes, you know," Louis warns. "I hope you remember we're not in good shape on this one."

"Yes, not only do I remember, but I'm looking forward to it in a weird kind of way," Mike says. "Yesterday I looked over the e-mail trails between you two over the last few weeks. Not a pretty sight." Mike is actually ahead of the game for the first time today.

"Well, you're right on that . . . it's ugly," Louis says. "But why on earth would you say that you're looking forward to it? That's like saying you can't wait for your next colonoscopy."

Mike laughs. Louis is right; the meeting with Denise won't be a ton of fun. But Mike still has his reasons for his anticipation. "Well, for one, I'm looking forward to seeing you in action. Last week we prepared well for this," Mike explains. "Second, I'm interested in her reaction. She does a damn good job of negotiating for her company, so I want to see how she responds."

"So you're not expecting a world war?" Louis asks.

"No way," Mike says. "I'm guessing she'll back off as soon as you go forward with your plan. But she'll still try to get more than what's fair from us. That's what will make this interesting."

11:07: Chad Comes Up with "The Perfect Storm" Tactic

Chad and ...