What Decision Is Actually Being Made?

Introduction

For several years, I thought I was preparing to become General Manager of Burlington Electric Department.

Looking back, I misunderstood the decision that was being made.

At the time, it felt like a hiring story. Today, I see it as a case study in strategic judgment.

The Successor Nobody Expected

I worked at Burlington Electric Department for almost two decades, much of that time under General Manager Barb Grimes.  My title suggested I was a mid-level manager. My responsibilities increasingly suggested otherwise.

Barb regularly pulled me into executive discussions, high-level negotiations, and politically sensitive issues that normally would have involved senior leadership. At one particularly contentious meeting involving VELCO and a proposed Burlington substation, discussions became so frustrating that I eventually got up and walked out. A VELCO executive followed me into the hallway and asked a question I have never forgotten:

"Where do you fit in the BED org. chart anyway?"

He wasn't being critical. He was genuinely confused. My title and my apparent authority didn't seem to match. Over time, Barb had increasingly relied on me to solve difficult problems. Looking back, I had become her main fixer.

As she approached retirement, I began wondering whether I might eventually be capable of becoming a General Manager myself. The problem was that I wasn't one of the senior managers. Several people appeared to be much more obvious successors.

I didn't think I was a realistic candidate.  So I began looking elsewhere.

The Fork In The Road

One opportunity became particularly serious.

The City of Gastonia, North Carolina flew my wife and me down for an interview. What I expected to be a short meeting turned into a full day of discussions. Eventually they offered me the position.

Before making a decision, I called Barb.  Her response changed the trajectory of my career.  She told me she didn't want to lose me. Then she said something explicit: "Stay.  I'll support you in becoming my successor."  There was no ambiguity.

I turned down the Gastonia position and stayed.  Looking back, that may have been the most consequential decision in this entire story.

A Changing Environment

To her credit, Barb followed through.  She sent me to Department Head meetings in her place. She expanded my exposure to city leadership and involved me in increasingly strategic issues.  The more responsibility I received, the more convinced I became that she was preparing me for a larger role.

Then something changed.  Not at Burlington Electric.  At City Hall.  A new Mayor was elected.

Unlike previous administrations, the new Mayor wanted more direct involvement in city departments. That created increasing tension with Barb, who had spent more than a decade protecting Burlington Electric's operational independence.  The conflict eventually led to her departure.

At the time, I viewed that primarily as a personnel event.  In hindsight, it changed the decision entirely.  The succession process I thought I was competing under no longer existed.

The Search

After Barb left, the city launched a formal search.  Several internal candidates applied. So did outside candidates.

A few weeks later, I received a call.  The committee had narrowed the field to two finalists.  I was the internal choice.  An external candidate was the other finalist.  That dramatically increased my confidence. In my experience, utilities rarely select an outside candidate when a viable internal successor exists.  The final step would be an interview with the Mayor.

At that point, everything still pointed toward the same conclusion: The city was trying to identify the best person to run a utility.

The Interview

Looking back, the interview should have been my first clue.  The Mayor moved through utility issues quickly. Instead, he focused on city politics, relationships with elected officials, and interactions with state government.  At one point I casually mentioned having worked with Senator Bernie Sanders. The Mayor seemed particularly interested.

I thought I was interviewing to become the leader of a utility.  The Mayor was evaluating something else.  I just didn't realize it yet.

The Phone Call

The following day, my wife and I left for Philadelphia to attend my granddaughter's dance recital.  Before leaving, I offered to remain in Burlington if a decision was imminent. The Mayor told me that wasn't necessary.

Then, minutes before my granddaughter was scheduled to go on stage, my phone rang.  The Mayor's number appeared on the screen.  I still remember looking at it.  My wife urged me not to answer. The recital was about to begin.  I answered anyway.

I stepped out into the open lobby while families rushed past me toward the auditorium.  The Chief of Staff came on first and told me the Mayor wanted to speak with me.  A moment later, the Mayor informed me that he had rejected both finalists and intended to pursue a different candidate.

I remember standing alone in that lobby trying to process what had just happened.  Then I went back inside.  The recital had already started.  I sat down next to my wife and quietly whispered: "I didn't get it."

For the remainder of the performance, I wasn't really watching.  I kept replaying the conversation in my head.  Why had he made that decision?  And why had he called me now after specifically telling me he would wait until I returned?

The Clues

The Interim General Manager selection was the first clue that something larger was happening.  The individual chosen had significant experience working with elected officials, legislative issues, local government, and regional organizations.

Then the city announced its permanent choice.  The successful candidate wasn't a utility executive. He was a longtime political operative with extensive government experience.

At that moment, everything clicked.  I thought the Mayor was searching for a utility executive.  He had actually been searching for another governance structure.

Burlington Electric wasn't simply a utility.  It controlled the largest departmental budget in city government. It sat at the center of energy policy, environmental initiatives, and climate-related programs. It also operated an efficiency utility subsidiary.

The more I thought about those facts, the more I realized the Mayor wasn't choosing a utility executive.  He was deciding how Burlington Electric would fit within his administration.  The Mayor wasn't primarily looking for someone to run a utility.  He was looking for someone who could help implement a different relationship between City Hall and Burlington Electric.  Once I understood that, the outcome made perfect sense.

The Meeting

After the announcement, I asked to meet with the Mayor.  He expected me to complain.  In fact, I’m pretty certain he expected me to vent.

Instead, I told him two things.  First, I thought the timing of the phone call had been inappropriate and explained how his timing had ruined our family event.  Second, I told him I thought he had made the right choice.

He looked surprised.  Very surprised.  But it was true.  The person he selected was better suited to the political dimensions of the role than I was.

The Mayor wasn't solving the problem I thought he was solving.  Once I understood the decision he was making, I would have made the same choice.

Final Reflection

For years, I viewed this experience as a personal and professional disappointment, and I carried a lot of resentment for the way the process played out.  Today I view it differently.

People often spend enormous amounts of time and effort evaluating candidates, proposals, or alternatives.  Far fewer spend time understanding what decision the decision maker is actually trying to make.  No amount of preparation helps if you're answering the wrong question.

Looking back, I still believe I was the best person to manage the utility.  I also believe the Mayor chose the right person to achieve his objectives.

Those statements are not contradictory.  They simply reflect two different definitions of success.

Strategic Judgment Questions Raised By This Case

What decision is actually being made?
Throughout the search, I evaluated the search as hiring a utility executive. The hiring committee largely appeared to be doing the same thing. The Mayor was deciding what role Burlington Electric would play within his administration and what type of leader would best support that vision.

Who is the actual decision maker?
Many participants focused on the hiring committee's assessment. Ultimately, the decision belonged to the Mayor. Understanding the criteria of the final decision maker proved far more important than understanding the criteria of the screening committee.

Do all participants share the same evaluation criteria?
The candidates, hiring committee, and city administration were not evaluating the role through the same lens. Understanding those differences explained the outcome far better than comparing resumes.

Have the underlying circumstances changed?
Much of my confidence came from the succession path Barb had outlined. What I underestimated was how much the election of a new Mayor had changed the strategic context.

What broader objective might this decision support?
Burlington Electric was not simply a utility. It controlled a significant budget, sat at the center of environmental and climate initiatives, and operated an efficiency utility subsidiary. Decisions that appear puzzling often become rational when viewed within the context of broader objectives.