Interview Story - Tough Decision

I was a Client Exec at Level 3, working on a global Request For Proposal (RFP) for a high profile new logo, for a client whom I had been hired specifically to court. My company had just gone through a large reorg and layoffs, and the VP who hired me was no longer with the company.

The RFP required a lot of time and resources, and my new management did not believe it was worth the effort and didn't think we were likely to win any of the business. Meanwhile, the client had a personal relationship with me and as a result of previous conversations, was expecting our proposal and due diligence. I struggled throughout the several weeks we had to respond to get the materials I needed from my team, and my client became increasingly more aware of the apparent disinterest from my management, and I clearly not going to be able to deliver a respectable response.

After my client called on a Friday afternoon and asked if it would be ok to contact our CEO directly to get more focus on it, I agreed that was a good plan. I needed to evaluate whether I should share this with my management so that they could engage my CEO (politically appropriate) or go directly to my CEO to give him a heads up.

It was incredibly risky either way. If I took it to my management, the message would have taken a long time to get to my CEO (we only had the weekend) and would likely be diluted along the way. But if I took it directly to him, I risked alienating my management chain and put my job in jeopardy. If I did nothing, my CEO would have been blind-sided, and my management would have pleaded ignorance and I would have ended up the scapegoat, and my client still wouldn't likely get a good response or proper focus.

I weighed out my options and sent my CEO a brief on the situation and a heads up to expect the call. The CEO appreciated my note. Over the course of the weekend, other members of the team got the materials together so that when my client called on Monday morning, they had a meaningful conversation.

Unfortunately, the client did not choose our proposal for this project. Still, the relationship was retained, and we were able to secure later assignments.