The Review

Like many companies, United Systems did annual performance reviews, where each supervisor writes a standardized, fill-in-the-blanks form about the work of each person they manage. Despite the spotty work they had given me since Hank became my manager two years earlier, these had gone well …

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The Setup

Bringing up a screen, I said, “This is the all-important master list of applications the Virginia and Pennsylvania teams have developed, and which we still care about because they’re still in use or will be. This is the central piece. Any time we’re tracking metrics …

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Opening Scene

“Ted’s really upset with you,” said Gary, shuffling into the cramped, windowless office we’d shared for a week. “You need to call him now,” he added, settling into a creaking chair. “What’s he upset about?” I turned away from trying to fix some of Gary’s …

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