Okay, so the topic is Francis Leroux. You hear a name like that, and if you’re a hockey fan, you probably think of a specific kind of player, right? The tough guy, the enforcer. Wasn’t a household name for scoring goals, but he had a job to do. And funny enough, that whole idea, it really takes me back to a particular stint in my own career, a real hands-on ‘practice’ I had to go through.
My Own “Enforcer” Period
This wasn’t on any ice, mind you. It was about this massive project at an old company I was with. Things were just completely stuck. Totally bogged down in arguments and, frankly, a lot of ego. Nothing was moving. My ‘practice’ then, for a good few months, became about being the guy who had to sort of, well, enforce some order.
First, I had to really dig in and see what was what. I mean, I spent about a week just sitting in meetings, listening more than talking, trying to figure out who was actually pulling their weight and who was just stirring the pot. It was a mess, honestly. Lots of finger-pointing, not a lot of solutions.
Then came the part I really didn’t look forward to. I really wrestled with it. I mean, nobody wants to be the bad guy, right? My usual approach is all about teamwork and keeping spirits high. But it was crystal clear that just hoping for the best wasn’t cutting it. Someone had to step up and make the tough calls, and it looked like that someone was going to be me. It wasn’t about wanting to, it was about needing to.
So, here’s what I started doing, step by step:
- I pulled people aside, one on one. No big showdowns in front of everyone. Just quiet, direct chats.
- I told them straight up what I was seeing. “Here’s the deadline, here’s our current mess, and this is what needs to change.” Pretty blunt.
- I had to set some very clear, non-negotiable expectations. Some folks took it okay, others… not so much. Lots of pushback.
- And I made sure to back anyone who was genuinely trying to push the project forward. You gotta protect the folks actually doing the work.
The real ‘practice’ was just being relentless about it, day in and day out. Constant check-ins. More of those uncomfortable conversations than I can count. Removing roadblocks, which sometimes meant stepping on toes. It was exhausting, no joke. You don’t exactly win any popularity contests when you’re the one constantly saying, “This isn’t good enough yet,” or “We need to redo this.”
I kept thinking about guys like Leroux. They weren’t always the stars, but their role was crucial when things got out of hand. That’s kind of how it felt. I wasn’t there to make friends during that phase; I was there to get that damn project finished and out the door.
And you know what? We did it. The project shipped. It wasn’t a smooth ride, and there were definitely some bruised feelings along the way, probably mine included. But it got done. After that, things settled, and I could step back from being the ‘enforcer.’ But man, that whole period was a serious learning curve. You find out a lot about how people operate under pressure, and what you’re capable of when you’re pushed into a corner.
It’s funny how a name like Francis Leroux can dredge up memories like that. You don’t often think about the enforcers, but sometimes, you realize you’ve had to play a similar role, just in a different kind of game. And yeah, it’s a grind, but getting things done, that’s its own reward, I guess. Or at least, that’s what I told myself back then.
