The Ideal Team Player

Bob’s surgery is successful, which puts everyone at ease for a short time. The three company executives return to the discussion from the previous section and continue to probe into their ideas on what kinds of traits identify a team player. They discuss a former employee named Tommy Burleson, whom Clare and Bobby both maintain was a very nice guy. He was able to get his work done; however, he did not show any interest in going above and beyond. He lacked passion in his work, a term that the three executives modify to “hungry.” They then discuss ego, which eventually morphs into “humility” and then “smart,” which they use to mean emotional intelligence or people smarts. They recognize that Ted definitely possesses the last trait, but they’re unsure if he possesses the other two. Jeff draws a Venn diagram on a whiteboard, and they proceed to place 23 of the company’s best employees within the three circles. The names of a handful of them land in the overlapping section of the diagram, while the majority land somewhere outside of it. After they conclude their discussion, they prepare for the second formal interview with Ted that will take place the following day.

Jeff meets with Craig and goes over the plan for Craig’s interview with Ted. Jeff directs Craig to focus on specific traits that indicate whether Ted is a good team player. He also wants Craig to look for evidence that Ted is still hungry and not just looking for an activity that will break his retirement boredom. This interview is part of a larger one in which Ted will interact with various personnel in the company. After the interview concludes, Craig reveals that he thinks Ted is a great guy and that it seems like he is still hungry. Jeff asks him about his relationship with Nancy, to which Craig answers that it has been slightly improving, although she still remains a mystery to him.

Jeff then meets with Clare to prepare her for her interview with Ted. The pair discuss humility; though Ted has not shown any signs of being arrogant, that does not mean he is humble. It could be that he is extremely careful to avoid being perceived as arrogant, which Jeff and Clare agree is not the same thing. Clare conducts her interview with Ted by having him tag along while she runs some errands. The interview seems to go well until they arrive back at the office. Clare tells Ted to check in with Kim in advance of his next interview. Ted does not know who Kim is, even though she was the same receptionist that he met that day when he first arrived. He was with her for nearly 30 minutes, and he did not remember her name. Jeff and Clare talk to Kim about what she thinks of Ted. She is reluctant to answer at first, but when she learns that he didn’t remember her name, she views it as a potential red flag and suggests that she would not want to work with someone like that. As Jeff and Clare ponder how they can find out more about Ted’s work relationships, Kim mentions that she knows someone who used to work with Ted. She offers to call the person to get an inside scoop on Ted’s personality and how he interacts with people he works with.

Finally, Jeff and Ted have their interview. Jeff eventually turns the subject toward the corporate culture that he and his executive team had been developing. Gradually, Jeff’s questions to Ted become blunter and more direct, and even though Ted handles the questions well, he shows signs that some of the questions about humility take him by surprise. Jeff asks Ted who he can call at Ted’s former company to get a better reference to see if he fits with the kind of culture that Valley Builders is trying to establish. Ted promises to send Jeff a list.

The next day, Jeff and Clare become impatient waiting for Ted to provide his references. They call his former company and speak briefly to the HR representative, Marie. Clare tries to ask pointed questions to see if they can glean anything about Ted’s level of humility, but Marie does not provide much aside from than stock answers. Clare leaves for a meeting, and soon after, Ted calls Jeff. He notifies Jeff that he has reconsidered the position and has decided that he would like to stay in his retirement and removes himself as a candidate for the position. Jeff is both disappointed and slightly relieved. Jeff reveals details of his discussion with Ted to Bobby and Clare. Bobby has an especially strong reaction to the news and questions whether they are placing too strong of an emphasis on culture. The pressure of having to hire someone is so great that perhaps they need to loosen their demands. Clare reminds him of the importance of hiring the right person for such an important job, but she also feels the pressure they are all under.

After their meeting, Jeff returns home and speaks with his wife about the situation. She unambiguously tells Jeff that based on what he has shared, Ted would not have been the right fit. The next day, Jeff and Clare decide to look at their culture model and probe into whether it is truly the right strategy. Bobby joins them, and, after some discussion, he spontaneously recommends that Craig should be considered for the job. Even though Craig does not have the same credentials as Ted, he has a demonstrated commitment to being a team player, and his employees love working for him in the field. At first, Clare and Jeff are reluctant, but eventually they buy into Bobby’s argument. They decide to give Craig an interview. They also decide to give Nancy an interview, with the idea that she will either accept the new culture or remove herself from the company.