Leading from the impossible
The Mission Impossible That Changed Everything
Circa 2013.
I’m three years into my role supporting C-suite executives when the VP of Engineering drops a bombshell: “We’re transforming our entire engineering organization to agile framework. Can you help me interview every single person - all 65 of them - in less than two weeks?”
I’d never worked with this executive before, but something about how he explained the vision got me excited. This wasn’t just scheduling - this was being part of something big.
Then day one hit. First interview of the morning? Sick call.
“Oh ok, I’ll fix it,” I told him, diving straight into problem-solving mode.
But here’s what I didn’t anticipate: I was about to learn 65 names, navigate 65 different schedules, manage his executive calendar AND his single-dad life with two kids, all while an external consulting company breathed down our necks about deadlines.
Oh, and did I mention? These weren’t just routine check-ins. People were terrified their jobs might disappear.
So there I was - spreadsheet open, phone constantly buzzing, trying to be the calm voice for engineers who thought they might be getting fired while keeping everything moving for an executive I was desperate to impress.
I became a master of constant communication and meticulous record-keeping. I knew who was scheduled when, who missed, who needed rescheduling, and exactly how to handle each person’s anxiety with kid gloves.
The transformation? I went from supporting executives I already knew to becoming the full-time right hand to someone completely new. I fell in love with learning an entirely different team and department.
But here’s the real plot twist: That VP of Engineering? He’s now my husband.
The lesson that changed how I lead: You CAN handle the impossible. Good communication and record-keeping (whatever system works for YOU) will get you through anything. But more importantly? This is how we lead from behind the scenes. We understand the fears, the transformation, the priorities and goals - and we become the steady force that makes everything possible.
That’s why I created the “Mission Impossible” channel in my EA community. Because sometimes what feels impossible on Monday becomes your greatest success story by Friday.
This was my mission impossible - not recent but still makes me sweat! ! Can’t wait to hear yours!