From Donna’s Desk

Last week, we learned that gifts know things.

This week, we learned that the past still shows up uninvited.

It doesn’t knock.
It doesn’t read the room.
And it usually wants coffee.

He asked why no one was working and then he spoke to me like it was 1973.

Here’s what I’ve learned, managing people (and systems) through moments like this:

You don’t argue with outdated authority.
You don’t educate it in public.
You definitely don’t fetch it coffee.

You acknowledge it.
You contain it.
And you let the culture you’ve built quietly decide what happens next.

By the end of the day, everyone had what they needed.

Some got joy.
Some got clarity.
One got wrapped gently—but firmly—in safety tape and holiday cheer.

That’s not chaos.
That’s alignment.

So I’ll ask you what I’m asking myself:

 What expectations are you still carrying that don’t belong to this version of your workplace?
 What would it look like to set them down—without apology?
 And how do you make room for progress without burning it all down?

I’ll be here.
Finishing the year with my team and drinking from a mug that says “I’m fine” that again, chose me.

Donna