Page 27 of Basil

Felix didn’t even blink. “That’s your prerogative. But that would mean you choose not to sign the severance agreement, which forfeits your severance package.” He tapped the folder.

Drew’s mouth opened, then closed. Her hands clenched at her sides. I saw it then—the exact moment she realized she had no leverage.

She turned to me again, voice trembling, eyes glassy. “Basil, come on. It’sme.”

I kept my voice measured. “You are the head of engineering at Stratos and this is a professional conversation.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I was loyal to you.”

I stared at her. “Working at Stratos requires you to do your job, and loyalty to asingleperson is not a requirement.”

Silence stretched between us, thick and stifling.

Finally, with shaking hands, Drew yanked the manila folder toward her and went through the contract. I saw her eyes widen at the numbers. She was getting a damn good severance package, more than she deserved, but we were doing it to buy ourselves out of any legal backlash.

She flipped to the last page and signed. Once she was done, she shoved the pen away, pushing herself to her feet. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

I met her gaze evenly. “Thank you for your years of service at Stratos. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.”

She let out a bitter laugh, swiping at her tears before storming out.

The door slammed behind her.

Felix let out a low whistle. “Well. That was something.”

I nodded, already standing, looking at my watch. “Townhall meeting in ten minutes! I better go before Jessie sends a search party.”

13

#LEARNFROMTHECEO

BASIL

The company auditorium was packed. Rows of employees filled the seats, standing along the walls, murmuring amongst themselves. Jessie stood off to the side, scanning the crowd as I stepped up to the small stage.

I took a slow breath, gripping the edges of the podium to steady myself.

When I told the leadership team I wanted to talk openly to the employees, some were skeptical, but Felix and Jessie were all in. They understood this was important. I had built this company, granted with the help of a lot of people, but as the CEO, the buck stopped with me, which meantIhad to make amends and make work a positive experience for those who came into Stratos every day and gave it their all.

“Good afternoon,” I greeted, and the crowd slowly became silent. “Thank you all for being here, and for those of you who are streaming this from your remote offices.”

I looked around the room, assessing who was there, especially from Drew’s team.

“I have a major leadership change announcement to make. But before I get there, I have some things to say to all of you.” I paused. “I owe you an apology.”

The murmuring went up for a moment and then quieted. A few heads tilted.

“I’ve spent the last few days looking at this company from the outside in. And I don’t like what I see.” I paused, letting the weight of that settle. “Somewhere along the way, I created a culture where people feel like the only way to move forward is to be in the CEO’s…inmyinner circle. That is not a meritocracy. That is not good leadership. And it sure as hell isn’t the company I want to work for.”

Several people nodded.

I glanced at Jessie, then back at the crowd. “The truth is, I let this happen. I got comfortable. I made excuses for people who didn’t deserve them. And for that, I’m sorry. I know there’s a perception that promotions are handed out to those in my social circle—but that’s simply not true. Every senior leadership promotion is a collective decision made by the leadership team, and we only move forward when we all agree on the right candidate.”

The silence stretched. I continued, my voice stronger.

“Now, some of you are thinking,bullshit, he’s just saying these things. I want to assure you I am not. At Stratos, it’s not about who you know or who you have drinks with after work. It’s about all of you who show up every day, put in the effort, and make our workplace great. I want to be clear—promotions, opportunities, and leadership positions have always been based solely on performance and contribution. But since there is a sensitivity to how and why someone got a promotion, from now on, we will be more transparent and bring to you why the leadership chose to do what they did.”

This had been a sticky point with the leadership team and Greer from a legal perspective.But,I prevailed after I showed them we could do this without violating confidentiality or creating legal hurdles in the future.

---