We are mixing entertainment and education on today’s AskAndrew! On paper, this employee looked great: strong growth mindset, adaptable, super smart. He pivoted careers and started his own business that generated millions in its first year. But over time, his insatiable quest for power overshadowed his strengths. You may know him as Mr. Lambert or The Danger or Heisenberg or simply Walter White.
Today we are going to play with the fictional character from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as if he were your employee. What extreme traits does he exhibit? What questions could you ask in a 1:1? What are potential strategies to coach him?
I’ve learned from others the statute of limitations on spoilers is 10 years, so we may be OK. The idea for this episode came to me while re-watching Breaking Bad earlier this year. After an episode, I asked my wife if Gus could’ve managed Walt differently to avoid what happened. While Walter is an extreme case, I recognized traces of his coachable moments in my career and in coaching conversations with others.
Here’s an outline for today:
First, we will share some basics about Walter.
Next, I’ll share one of the biggest issues that limited Walter’s sustained success: Ego and Desire for Power
We will share ideas for coaching paths forward when ego gets in the way.
Meet Walt
As a refresher, here are some basic items we know about Walt. Feel free to read over his resume.
Previous experience:
Former Chemistry Teacher turned Entrepreneur
Previous experience in technology
Family man
Wants everyone to achieve their potential
Latest Business Venture:
Started a chemical manufacturing business
Successfully built it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise
Seeking:
Seeking new partners and investors
Business Philosophy: Overcoming any difficulty
Goal:
To take the business to even greater heights
The Scene
You’ve noticed Walt’s joy at work isn’t the same. He has become more argumentative and you feel he is challenging your authority. He calls late at night and on weekends.
One storyline that demonstrated Walt’s egotistical tendencies was his power struggle and game of chess with Gus Fring. This also proved to be an inflection point that created more tension and drama in the show.
After the two initially formed an uneasy alliance, with Walt cooking high-quality meth in Gus' super lab, tensions escalated. Walt resisted taking orders and following Gus' strict procedures and processes.
When Gus decided to replace Walt's former student Jesse with Gale, a highly qualified chemist, Walt viewed it as a reversal of the autonomy he was promised and a threat to both his ego and job security.
Walt's ego caused him to mandate Gale be fired and that Jesse return as his assistant. This set off another chain reaction of events at the end of season 3. Gus was forced to consider having Walt eliminated, as Walt's need for dominance and ego gratification made him an incalculable risk.
Real-life applications
A decision is made without your input
Being passed over for a promotion
Having your ideas shut down
Someone else gets credit for your idea
Following someone else’s process/orders
Coaching Moments
Could this have been prevented? Was there an alternate path?
What cadence were Walt and Gus having 1:1s?
The ego can be a delicate thing. I have a few preventative ideas and questions to ponder, as well as strategies to handle a bruised ego after a decision is made.
There are a two decision-making frameworks that come to mind that can help minimize the chance of hurt feelings. RACI matrix and RAPID. I’ve linked to an article if you want to learn more or want a refresher. The key part I like about both is that they invite the question of who is playing what role in the decision. One part often missed is the C in RACI. The C is who is consulted. In RAPID this would be the ‘I’ for input.
I have inflated my importance in thinking I should have been consulted in decisions that impacted me and my team. In our Breaking Bad example, Walt not only wants to have been consulted, he wants to play all the roles!
So how could you (or Gus) handle the situation differently after noticing Walt’s negative reaction to Gale?
Gus requests time with Walt to discuss the week and the hiring of Gale.
INT. GUS'S OFFICE - DAY
Gus and Walt are seated across from each other.
GUS
Thank you for joining me, Walter. I'd like us to discuss the hiring of Gale. You said he wasn't up to your standards. Could you tell me more about that?
WALT
He's no good. He's a nice person, but I had a rhythm with Jesse and it will take too long to teach Gale.
GUS
I see. So, your concern is the speed to get Gale up to speed. Did I hear you correctly?
WALT
Yeah. You said you want us to produce 200 pounds per week and I can't with Gale. Why did you pick him anyway?
GUS
We can revisit our production targets in a minute but I'd like to share more on the hiring process, if that's OK with you.
WALT
Yes, I want to know how you picked him. I already have an assistant. You wasted your time and now my time.
GUS
I'm sorry to hear you feel your time was wasted. I can assure you our intentions are to create the best product and recruit the best talent to help us achieve that goal.
Walt's anger grows.
WALT
Why wasn't I included? I should've been part of the decision. You didn't even tell me you were looking for an assistant. You told me I would have complete authority in running the lab. Complete authority. What part of your hiring an assistant without me was my role?
GUS
I sense you're getting angry with me, Walter.
WALT
(sarcastic)
You think so?
GUS
I want to make sure you feel heard. I hear your frustration and I want us to work on a path forward. Do you feel now is a good time for us to calmly discuss this or would you like us to revisit it later?
WALT
You're the one making all the decisions so how about you tell me?
GUS
Let's take a moment to go through this guided meditation I heard on AskAndrew before we continue.
Walt looks confused.
WALT
AskAndrew? He's great. Brilliant idea, Gus.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
Gus and Walt, having completed the meditation, appear calmer.
GUS
I feel better. How are you feeling, Walt?
WALT
I'm more calm now. I often forget to breathe. Skylar is always telling me I should go to yoga.
GUS
I would like to share my thought process about hiring Gale with you. My goal is to be more open with you about how I have run the business. Like you, I have built this from the ground and I take great pride in what I have built.
Based on our conversation, I see how my actions caused you stress. That was not my intention. Our goal as a team is to create and distribute the best product in the southwest. You are an integral part of us achieving that mission.
Gus pauses, then continues.
GUS (CONT'D)
I see now I could have included you in the discussions about recruiting an assistant. I wanted you focused on production and not distracted by the interview process. Much like having the best equipment, I wanted you to have the best help. I did promise you complete control over the running of the lab.
(beat)
Moving forward I would like us to be better partners to achieve our shared and individual goals. I didn't know you were interested in the Operations part of our business. I'd like to explore that more. But first, what's one action you think would help us be better partners?
Walt pauses to consider this.
Other Tactics & Questions Gus Could Ask:
Revisit feelings - If/when Walt is comfortable sharing how he felt when Gus hired someone without his input. The key would be listening without judgment to how a decision or event made someone else feel. Walt scores low on emotional IQ so he would benefit from unpacking some of his feelings. This video is a helpful framework if you’d like to learn more.
Map out stakeholders impacted by different decisions - Playing with what-ifs could help uncover Walt’s insecurity with Gale. What could happen if Gale does the job well? What happens if Gale is removed? What happens if Jesse does well on the job? What if Jesse doesn’t do well on the job? How do those scenarios impact Walt, Gus, Gale, Jesse, Pollos Hermanos? Based on this what-if-ing, is there a scenario that creates the most wins for all?
Passion and Growth Areas - Is Walt’s desire to be involved in the hiring part of a desire to do something he enjoyed in the past? Is it a curiosity for him to learn something new? These questions could help uncover the why behind the strong feelings. It could be a skill the person has but hasn’t yet used in this role or a development area. If a development area, add to the notes to revisit during development time to help build an action plan to practice and master those skills.
Recap
We explored how ego can influence our judgment and impact our decisions. We briefly covered two decision-making frameworks and did a roleplay of how to handle when you think someone’s feelings are impacting their work.
If this were an episode of Breaking Bad there’d be a dramatic cliffhanger to lead you to the next episode. Next time we will explore Walter’s skills in delegating.
Let me know if you enjoyed this as much as I did. If you did enjoy it, please share it with someone you think could benefit from playing with coaching Walter White. Until next time, thanks for listening, and take care!