The next day, Leo sent the same message to both Sarah and Frank, who were still fuming.
"Seven p.m. The office. We need to talk."
He had originally planned to talk to them separately, thinking it would be a better way to soothe their respective tempers.
But Roosevelt stopped him.
"Don't talk to them separately," Roosevelt said. "That will make them think you're forming cliques, playing petty office politics. That's not how a leader should act."
"You need to call them both into your office at the same time and, face to face, announce your decision like a true leader—clearly, forcefully, and unequivocally."
"What you need isn't some wishy-washy mediation. It's a consolidation of will."
At seven p.m., the office door opened right on time.
Sarah and Frank walked in, one after the other.
When Sarah saw Frank was also there, her brow immediately furrowed.
She had thought Leo would talk to her alone—a comforting phone call, perhaps, or a private conversation to persuade her.
