Meeting Minutes
Executive Council Memorandum
To: All Departments and Related Buildings
From: Executive Council
Re: Policy to Deploy if Temporary Management Returns
The Executive Council has completed its initial review.
The Council remains optimistic.
Recent reports indicate that some Buildings periodically experience temporary Management replacements.
These individuals frequently communicate through repetitive messages of blame, shame, guilt, fear, and personal condemnation.
The Council reminds all departments that temporary Management replacements do not become permanent simply because they speak repeatedly.
Accordingly, the Council recommends the following procedure.
When the temporary manager submits a report, write it down.
Write it lightly.
Use pencil.
Do not argue with the report.
Do not erase the report.
Acknowledge that it has been received.
If the identical report returns, place a single check mark beside it.
The check mark confirms that the report has become repetitive rather than incidental.
Once the report has demonstrated that it is recurring, record the verified truth directly beneath it.
Use red ink.
Leave both statements visible.
Read them together.
The Council then demonstrated the procedure.
“If I say left…”
The employee replied,
“…right.”
“If I say yes…”
“…no.”
“If I say hot…”
“…cold.”
The Council smiled.
“Exactly.”
“The objective is not to defeat the first response.”
“The objective is to become so familiar with the verified response that Electrical Division eventually travels there automatically.”
“Repeat the reports together.”
“Again.”
“And again.”
“And again.”
“When the verified pathway becomes the preferred pathway, erase the pencil.”
“The pencil was always intended to be temporary.”
“The truth was not.”
Following the meeting, the employee immediately contacted a related Building so the Council’s recommendation would not be forgotten.
The related Building listened carefully.
The related Building expressed an initial concern.
“You can’t write down the negative.”
“That only reinforces it.”
The employee respectfully informed the related Building that the recommendation had originated with the Executive Council.
The related Building remained uncertain.
The Council heard the concern.
The Council remained optimistic.
The related Building then paused.
“What about the feathers?”
The employee looked surprised.
“The feathers?”
“And the ceiling.”
“The title of your book.”
“Narnia.”
“The crack in the earth.”
“Eden.”
“You’ve had plenty of adventures with your ceiling.”
The employee laughed.
“You remember all of that?”
“Of course I do.”
“You told me all about them.”
The Council heard the testimony.
The Council notes that the related Building voluntarily reopened these files without prompting from the employee.
The related Building then made the following statement.
“I don’t know if I agree with the recommendation.”
“But because of the feathers…”
“…I’m willing to hear the Council.”
The Council welcomed the related Building to the table.
Every Building deserves to be heard.
The related Building then inquired about the employee’s recent Building upgrade.
The employee explained that the follow-up meeting had been postponed.
The related Building stated that she was grateful the employee had briefly experienced the temporary Management replacement following the initial upgrade.
“Now,” she said, “you understand what it’s like.”
The employee acknowledged that the temporary manager had indeed been memorable.
Blame.
Shame.
Guilt.
Constant criticism.
The employee further reported that the temporary manager’s employment had lasted only a few hours before the upgrade was discontinued.
The temporary manager departed.
No permanent office was established.
The related Building appeared genuinely surprised.
“My manager never leaves,” she admitted.
The employee replied,
“Mine did.”
The Council heard both reports.
The Council noted that different Buildings appear to employ remarkably different Management structures.
The related Building reported that her internal manager continually reevaluated previous conversations and warned her against appearing foolish.
The employee reported no such supervisor remained on staff.
The employee further reported experiencing joy, grief, compassion, love, protectiveness, and sorrow, while distinguishing those emotions from repetitive reports of blame, shame, and guilt.
The Council heard both testimonies.
A third related Building was then entered into the discussion.
That Building reported retaining a similar critical voice.
However, the position had been reassigned.
The individual was no longer Management.
The individual had become a roommate.
The roommate remained free to express opinions.
The roommate no longer chaired meetings.
The Council found this organizational structure noteworthy.
Having heard every department…
Having heard every related Building…
Having heard fear…
Having heard blame…
Having heard shame…
Having heard guilt…
Having heard hope…
The Executive Council reached the same conclusion.
Every voice may approach the table.
Not every voice receives a vote.
As the meeting was closing…
The related Building smiled.
“So… are you really going to put all of that in your memoir?”
“All of what?”
“Your adventures.”
“The ceiling. How you got the title.”
“Narnia.”
“Eden.”
“The feathers.”
“The whole thing.”
The employee laughed.
“I’m not sure how much of it I’m going to include.”
The related Building waited.
“Without context,” the employee continued, “I can understand how some of those reports might sound a little… unusual.”
The employee paused.
“A little like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
The related Building nodded knowingly.
“My internal manager would absolutely tell me how foolish I sounded.”
The employee considered that statement.
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“I don’t feel foolish.”
The related Building looked genuinely puzzled.
“Not even a little?”
The employee shook her head.
“No.”
“The temporary manager left the Building.”
The related Building smiled.
“Well…”
“You’ve certainly gone on some great adventures.”
The employee laughed.
“That I have.”
The Executive Council heard the testimony.
The Council reminds all departments that context matters.
A single incident report rarely tells the entire story of a Building.
An isolated page may appear confusing.
A complete record often reveals an entirely different picture.
Accordingly, the Council encourages all readers to postpone final conclusions until the complete memorandum has been reviewed.
The Council remains optimistic.