“We were all there. I mean, who wasn’t? It seemed like no one had been left off the invite for this meeting. Everyone shared their two cents. The resource shortage was obvious. We need to act. Everyone agreed. At least, I thought everyone agreed. Until this morning. An unexpected email from the Division Director. He’s reconsidering the approach.”

Scenarios like this crop up far more frequently than we might like to think. A meeting took place. The key stakeholders were around the table. Recommendations were made. Discussions ensued. Heads nodded. Then people start running in the direction they think was agreed upon, only to discover later, and often via email, that agreement was merely a momentary apparition.