As a manager, Burns was everything Skilling wasn’t. He motivated people not by throwing money at them but by taking an interest in their lives and making them feel appreciated. He had exquisite people skills. As one ECT employee put it, “He could fire you and you’d feel good about it.” Though Burns lacked Skilling’s crackling intelligence, he had the kind of practical management skills that most companies treasure—and that Skilling never had. He also had little tolerance for the kind of outrageous behavior and free spending that Skilling routinely indulged, or for guys with spikes. “He was the
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