Chapter 9. Tell Me the Story

Tell them the truth, first, because it's the right thing to do, and second, they'll find out anyway.

—Paul Galvin, founder, Motorola

What's the story, Tom? Tell me the story, Tom. I want to know the story."

Tom Downs stood in his office doorway at Amtrak headquarters in Washington, D.C. He'd been the railroad's chairman and CEO for only a few weeks. His first few weeks had been devoted to listening, primarily to Amtrak employees and customers. He'd just returned from a series of meetings with railroad employees along the Northeast Corridor, that stretch of track from Washington to Boston.

"Our people want to know the story," Downs told me. "They want to know what's going on. They want to know the same things that ...

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