Why are we not hitting our numbers? A case study

Mohammed Albaz is a 3rd generation American whose family comes from Egypt. He heads the Middle East and Asia sales division of a Fortune 500 company.

He has convened a meeting of his staff in Larnaca and has just conveyed the bad news…..there is a 30% drop in revenue. All managers were asked to give their opinions and suggest corrective action.

Hans, a German who heads sales in Indonesia, gave a very, very detailed blow by blow description of what was causing delay.  Mohammed, never known for his patience, told Hans to “focus on the woods and not the trees.”

Anat, an Israeli, (Israel and Greece Sales) argued that the way corporate recognizes revenue makes no sense. “Anat”, he said, “I am also a Middle Easterner, but sometimes bargaining and positioning need to end”.

Watanabe, a Japanese managing Japan and Korea, sat and was silent. Mohammed said “silence is unacceptable”. Watanabe looked at him in shock. “I am thinking, Mohammed-san”. Do you want me to act with haste on such a serious issue”?

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