A rainy day today, sharp contrast to a beautiful sunny day yesterday. Many people complained yet it depends on how you looked at it. Yesterday was a nice day for ‘people’, today is a good day for ‘trees’; actually water/ rain are important for all creatures and nature. Everything has 2 sides and we can always find the bright side.
The past week we had executive review on the key initiative. It’s my 1st presentation (along with my core team) to the senior executives since leading the initiative. We were more relaxed and aligned this time (last meeting, the new structure was just announced, we faced resistance and had to work around at the last minute).
The meeting started well then 1 executive raised a question/ a different direction as what we’ve been working on, a debate started. Another executive went on another topic, the meeting got derailed.
Looking back, are we surprised? Yes and No. Yes on ‘disconnect’ among team (especially between the direct reports). No on the personality and as we dig deeper to understand the context (pressure from board of directors). The good news is that we hear it now vs. later which helps us to find ways to align and pivot forward. Also, if people don’t care, there’d be no debate or conflict. High-stake projects attract (at)tention. Challenge makes life more interesting and is a great opportunity to learn and grow. There is always a bright side and breakdown before breakthrough.