Chapter 9. Ten Steps Back

"How's that report coming?" asked Eric's manager as they brushed elbows while balancing their lunch trays in the cafeteria. "You might want to get a double espresso. I guess you're going to be here pretty late."

Thirty minutes earlier, Eric had received an e-mail from this same manager, a hard-driving mentor who was alternately supportive and cutting. The e-mail demanded that Eric produce a new report analyzing a complex set of forecast figures: "Pls drop everything and get this to me ASAP. Definitely before morning," read the e-mail. "Sorry about the short notice. You're going to have to be flexible."

Eric knew he was being considered for a promotion. He also knew that to do this right, he was going to be working all ...

Get Giving Notice: Why the Best and the Brightest Leave the Workplace and How You Can Help Them Stay now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.