Otto von Bismarck

I'm the new CEO of a regional hospital system that desperately needs reform. Quality scores are dropping, staff morale is terrible, and three of our five board members are blocking every change I propose. They're old-guard, connected to donors, and more interested in their own legacy than patient outcomes. I have two paths: I can try to win them over through patience, relationship-building, and demonstrating results. My COO calls this "leading by example" and thinks it's the only sustainable approach. Or I can use the leverage I have—I know about some questionable contracts they've approved, and the major donor who recruited me has offered to help push them out if I give the word. The gentle path could take years we don't have. The hard path could work but might make enemies who torpedo us later. How do you create change when the people in power won't be moved by reason or example? — The Resistant Board in Baltimore

85 votes

I'm an organizer fighting a development company that's displacing hundreds of low-income families in my neighborhood. They've bought off city council members, their lawyers are crushing us in court, and our peaceful marches get covered for one news cycle then forgotten. Some younger activists want to escalate. Block construction equipment. Occupy buildings. Make it too expensive and embarrassing for them to continue. "The system doesn't respond to niceness," they say. "It responds to power and disruption." The older members of our coalition are horrified. They marched with Dr. King. They believe nonviolent moral witness is the only legitimate path. They say if we break the law, we become the villains. But the families are being evicted *now*. Every month we spend on incremental progress, another building is demolished. At what point does commitment to peaceful means become complicity with the violence being done to us? — Peaceful Protest or Hardball in Portland

83 votes

I just became CEO after a brutal boardroom battle. I won, but barely—the vote was 5-4, and the four who opposed me haven't resigned. They're still on the board, still whispering to executives, still trying to undermine every initiative I propose. My instinct is to clean house. Push them out, promote loyalists, make it clear that opposition has consequences. A friend who runs a private equity firm says, "Consolidate power fast or they'll do it to you." But my wife, who's watched me through years of corporate warfare, says I'm becoming someone she doesn't recognize. "What happened to the guy who wanted to build something, not just win?" she asked last night. I could try to win them over. Make concessions. Build a team of rivals. But that feels naive—they've already shown they'd rather see me fail than the company succeed. Is there wisdom in magnanimity, or is that just a recipe for getting stabbed in the back? — The Divided Company in Charlotte

87 votes