That was when Mahan made a simple decision that dramatically changed his team’s future, as well as his own. Knowing that the head of engineering was literally right down the hall, and bolstered by the support of his executive champion, he decided to ask the question himself. “Do you mind if we don’t follow that procedure, because I’m only giving out these prototypes for sixty days?” he inquired. The head engineer replied, “Of course I don’t mind. You’re just doing a test, right?”
