Once the initial shock had subsided, Jacob acknowledged that this was not the first time he’d received such criticism (some colleagues and subordinates had made similar comments a few years earlier). “I thought I’d changed my approach,” he reflected, “but I haven’t really changed so much since the last time.” However, he quickly rationalized his behavior to his boss: “Sometimes you have to be tough in order to deliver results, and people don’t like it,” he said. “You have to accept that as part of the job description.” Of course, he was missing the point.