How To Make People Mad While Trying To Save The World

Warriors, there are times in your career when you’ll asked to be on something called a “strike team.” Sometimes these are called SWAT teams or action teams or “that thing I’m obligated to send someone too, but which I don’t give a shit about, so I’ll send that guy.”

These teams are temporary gatherings of people from around the company brought together to solve a problem or improve a process and, as always, to make PowerPoints. I’m coming to suspect that that is indeed the purpose of all corporate existence, to produce PowerPoint presentations.

The particular strike team I’m on is made up of wonderful people with smart ideas and if the company would listen, it would hear answers.

But it is deaf. Any noise that might cause a change is ignored. Any suggestion that might cause a shift in thinking is politely declined. A whispered hint that we might need an alteration to the way things are done is greeted with gritted teeth and a, "Go fuck yourself.”

But here I am anyway, on the team tasked with making noises, suggestions, and whispers about change.

What to do when you are being paid to flog a dead horse?

Crack that whip. Crack it good.