Three Times Before It's an Order

“Lazaridis would add to the confusion by visiting engineering teams with shopping lists of ideas. He became so enthusiastic about some design concepts that when he intoned, “This is important,” his engineers often mistook his passion for marching orders. When Lazaridis’s chief lieutenant, Larry Conlee, noticed engineers working on unauthorized parts or software, he quickly realized his boss had paid a visit. Mindful of pressing delivery dates, he asked Lazaridis to choose his words more carefully. Don’t use the word “important,” he warned, because there were too many people “saluting and clicking their heels.” RIM’s engineers learned to be more cautious about embracing Lazaridis’s ideas. It soon became accepted wisdom that no one was to follow Lazaridis’s orders unless he issued the command three separate times.”