"Agreed. His responsibilities will be temporarily distributed among the existing department heads. No projects will be suspended without review, and no employees should be affected by the leadership transition."
Robert added, "Human Resources will coordinate the internal communication."
"Good," Marcus replied.
He looked around the table.
"Now, let's discuss the restructuring proposal."
For the next two hours, the board reviewed the company's financial position, operational challenges, and strategic priorities.
Marcus was direct.
He questioned assumptions, requested supporting figures, and challenged several proposals that had previously been approved without sufficient scrutiny.
He did not raise his voice.
He did not threaten anyone.
But he expected every executive to understand the details of their department.
When one director presented a plan to reduce administrative costs by eliminating several hundred positions, Marcus stopped him.
"What's the expected savings?"
The director checked his notes.
"Approximately twenty-eight million dollars annually."
"And what's the projected cost of replacing the employees we're removing?"
The director hesitated.
"We haven't calculated that."
"What about the effect on customer support response times?"
"That wasn't included."
Marcus placed his pen on the table.
"Then we don't have a complete proposal."
He turned to Richard.
"I want a revised analysis that includes employee replacement costs, customer retention risk, and the long-term operational impact."
Richard nodded.
"Understood."
Marcus continued.
"We're not going to confuse cutting costs with creating value. Sometimes a company saves money by eliminating unnecessary positions. Sometimes it destroys its ability to operate efficiently. I want the numbers before we make that decision."
Margaret watched him closely.
After several minutes, she spoke.
"I think that's an important distinction. We've been looking at the restructuring primarily through the financial statements."
Marcus nodded.
"Financial statements tell us what happened. They don't always tell us why it happened."
Robert smiled slightly.
It was becoming increasingly clear why the board had selected Marcus.
He was not interested in making dramatic announcements or impressing people with his authority.
He wanted answers.
And he expected people to take responsibility for providing them.
At twelve thirty, the meeting finally adjourned.
The directors began collecting their documents.
Marcus remained seated, reviewing the final pages of the agenda.
Robert approached him.
"How are you finding your first morning?"
Marcus looked up.
"Interesting."
Robert laughed quietly.
"That's one way to describe it."
Marcus closed the folder.
"I assume Daniel's behavior wasn't entirely unexpected."
Robert's expression became serious.
"No. Unfortunately, it wasn't."
"How long have you known?"
"Several months. The first serious complaint came from the operations department almost a year ago."
Marcus looked at him.
"And nothing was done?"
Robert sighed.
"We investigated some of the allegations. But Daniel had considerable influence, and several directors believed his performance justified giving him more time."
"Did the employees receive a response?"
"Not always."
Marcus looked down at the table.
"That's a problem."
"I know."
Robert pulled out a chair.
"Marcus, I want to be honest with you. Sterling Global has been successful financially, but there are things beneath the surface that the board failed to address. Daniel wasn't the only executive with questionable management practices."
Marcus nodded.
"I suspected as much."
"Are you planning to replace the entire leadership team?"
"No."
Robert looked surprised.
"No?"
"Not without evidence. I don't believe in removing people simply because they were appointed by the previous administration. I believe in evaluating performance, conduct, and competence."
He gathered his documents.
"Some people may deserve another opportunity. Others may not. But every decision needs to be supported by facts."
Robert studied him.
"That's reasonable."
Marcus stood.
"One more thing. I want an independent review of the internal ethics department."
"Why?"
"Because complaints don't disappear on their own. If employees reported misconduct and nothing happened, we need to understand where the process failed."
Robert nodded slowly.
"I'll authorize it."
"Thank you."
Marcus walked toward the windows.
Far below, traffic moved through the streets of Manhattan.
He looked at the city for a moment.
Then he turned back.
"Robert, I want to meet the employees."
"The entire company?"
"Not all at once. Start with department representatives, including junior employees and administrative staff. I want to hear directly from the people who work here."
Robert smiled.
"That may surprise a few people."
"Good."
Meanwhile, on the thirty-second floor, Daniel Whitmore sat inside his office.
His assistant had placed a glass of water on the desk, but he hadn't touched it.
His phone was vibrating continuously.
Several colleagues had sent messages asking what had happened.
He ignored them.