Chapter 22 – The Creation of Spiritland
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Maxwell secured his team's trust by getting to know them on a one-on-one basis and making a sincere effort to learn as much as he could about the Chosen Ones. He got them working together by getting each person excited about the common goal, and showing them how everyone would benefit when the job was done. Maxwell also started holding weekly accountability meetings to make sure all his employees understood what needed to be accomplished and how their work fit into the bigger picture. He didn't like to brag about it, but he was very proud of how far his team had come since he took over the project. Everyone agreed that Maxwell was a breath of fresh air after years of being bossed around.

"Mr. Maxwell, you're really making my life easier!" Line exclaimed during one of the weekly meetings.
"How's that?"

"Before you took over, I didn't really understand why things worked the way they did. Now, I can do my job without any worries knowing that everything I'm doing is for a good reason. And if I run into a problem too big to handle on my own, the whole team works together to make decisions on how to proceed."
"That's great to hear, Line. You've been an amazing employee. I want to keep you on my side for the long haul."

After a few weeks, Maxwell implemented a plan to fix his employees' dissatisfaction for good. He provided an incentive program for everyone in his staff, including bonuses for exceptional performances. The employees were enthusiatic about the new rewards system, and their attitudes improved markedly.

Maxwell's focus on improving things throughout the organization made a big difference. People who had previously felt like outsiders started to feel more comfortable in their jobs. They began looking forward to coming to work and discussing plans to advance the project. Before long, Spiritland's groundwork was almost finished, and all that was left to do was build the rides and attractions. Maxwell saw the potential in his team to get things moving quickly, but he also knew they could do a lot more if they had more resources.

The only problem was that the executives were resistant to spending money. The Chosen Ones were used to having to fight tooth and nail to secure funding, so it wasn't easy to convince them to spend more than what was necessary. They'd all agreed to the initial budget, and although the amount had been reduced several times since then, there was still enough money to finish the job. Still, there wasn't close to enough to fund additional improvements that would really help Spiritland make an impact in the market. Maxwell asked Miss Planner why the executives weren’t listening to him.

Miss Planner explained that the Chosen Ones were having a tough time because the people running the organization weren't flexible enough. Maxwell said that the executives needed to be willing to accept change and let the best idea win out, but they just wouldn't listen.

"I'm going to help you get what you need from the executives. I want us to focus on getting things done, not cutting costs. I think you'll find the people in the executive offices much more receptive to new ideas after we show them how you’ve helped your team work together. But there’s something you have to do before you can ask for a bigger budget.”

"What?"

"Something abstract like an accountability meeting or numbers on a chart won’t be enough to 'wow' the executives and turn them into fans of yours. You need to earn their trust by demonstrating the value of the project and making sure they understand why this project matters so much. That's where the demonstration comes in."

"Demonstrate what? We haven't built anything yet!" Maxwell exclaimed. "We need time to finish building the attractions and the rides. How are you planning to demonstrate their importance?"

"You need to start small. Figure out what you can do right away to help move things along.”

Miss Planner knew that the most powerful Chosen Ones in charge of making the big decisions tended to have childlike personalities and were more easily impressed by quick, flashy demonstrations than abstract concepts. Maxwell agreed to set up a few attractions to serve as models so they could give the higher-ups a tour of the park and show off the benefits of investing more resources in the project.

"Okay, Line, you've been my man on this project. I want you to help me figure out some great ideas for attractions we can set up in the next few weeks that demonstrate how important Spiritland's development really is."

Maxwell and his employees started brainstorming. They thought about the sort of things people would love to ride or experience at a theme park, and then came up with some prototypes. Some of the ideas were innovative, while others were simple and incredibly easy to build. The team quickly realized that many of their ideas didn't require any special tools, materials, or skills, and they had the capacity to put together a wide range of attractions in record time.

Maxwell had Spiritland cleaned up and ready to go in a matter of weeks. Miss Planner came to check out Maxwell's progress. She was impressed with how much Maxwell had accomplished in such little time, and she told him that he'd done an excellent job securing her cooperation.

"You've done a great job getting everything ready. I'm going to be here tomorrow with the big bosses to give them a personal tour of the park. They're very interested in seeing what you guys have been working so hard to create."

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