Michael Brighton felt as if he’d been slapped. His back stiffened into the cold leather chair as Sir John Callaghan, the temperamental chairman of the London-based Royal Biscuit Company, angrily brandished the memo. “There is no evidence the two of you collaborated on this leadership development plan!” he hollered, glaring at Brighton while his German counterpart, Dieter Wallach, stared stone-faced at the conference table.

A version of this article appeared in the May 2004 issue of Harvard Business Review.