120 UTAH INTERNATIONAL: A BIOGRAPHY OF A BUSINESS board must rewrite the by-laws and transfer all corporation-wide decision making to the general manager. The board readily agreed to these stiff conditions, rewriting the by-laws as requested. Littlefield now faced the task of threading his way through the sensitive circumstances of Christensen’s de facto removal, knowing that many in the organization probably had no idea about the board’s intentions. Littlefield genuinely appreciated Christensen’s strengths, especially his vision and negotiating prowess that had led the company into new ventures. He also knew how significantly Christensen’s father had contributed to Utah Construction. Yet Littlefield also recognized that changes in competitive conditions often demanded new management. Christensen’s unwillingness to communicate with, confide in, or really inform the board of directors had brought Littlefield into the company. That flaw now loomed as the chief reason Christensen could no longer lead. “TAllen] had everybody reporting to him,” said Littlefield. “He wanted to keep it all like spokes in a wheel. However, despite his faults as a manager, he was a tireless worker, with creative ideas, a man of action, a man of decision.... He cultivated a mystique of being a loner, yet Allen has a place in Utah’s history.” When Littlefield’s promotion was made public, Vice President Wes Bourret remembered Eccles calling a meeting of all department heads at Number One Montgomery Street in San Francisco. “The meeting lasted thirty-five or forty minutes, and it was a genuine bombshell,” Bourret recalled. All of the longtime employees but one immediately jumped on the Littlefield bandwagon. Those who had worked for a shorter time, reminded Littlefield that Christensen had hired them and that he was still their friend regardless of who managed the company. More than they could ever know, Littlefield respected those who spoke truth about their feelings, regardless of what might seem politically expedient. While he expected the financial group to approve his promotion, Littlefield was startled and pleased when the mining leaders stepped forward to embrace him. Utah’s clients also easily accepted Littlefield as general manager, and many associates in joint ventures now expressed interest in establishing new partnerships. “All of a sudden, I am accepted by the Kaiser group ... by Bechtel ... and among all of Utah’s potential joint venture