Donna Lake stands in the breakroom thinking, “The breakroom is so quiet this morning.” Donna observes her animal staff—raccoon, penguin, and sloth—quietly working at desks as she thinks, “Everyone is so focused.” Donna sits at her desk, saying, “I’d better take their example and dive in.” Close-up of Donna's laptop screen showing a bright “Pre Black Friday 30% Off” ad, as she reacts with “Oh. Right. Sigh…”

Transcript

Panel 1

Actions / Visuals:
Donna Lake, wearing purple glasses and a purple blazer stands alone in a modern breakroom. Several empty stools line the counter. The room is quiet.

Thought Bubble (literal text):
“THE BREAKROOM IS SO QUIET THIS MORNING”

Panel 2

Actions / Visuals:
Donna stands in an office area with three coworkers: a raccoon (Milo), a penguin (Dash), and a sloth (Drew), each seated at a desk with a laptop. All appear focused on their screens. A lava lamp sits on Drew's desk.

Thought Bubble (literal text):
“EVERYONE IS SO FOCUSED”

Panel 3

Actions / Visuals:
The woman is now seated at her own desk, mug beside her, nameplate reading DONNA LAKE. She looks motivated and ready to start working.

Speech Bubble (literal text):
“I’D BETTER TAKE THEIR EXAMPLE AND DIVE IN”

Panel 4

Actions / Visuals:
Close-up of her laptop screen. A large, colorful advertisement fills the display with fireworks and bold text.

Speech Bubble (literal text):
“OH. RIGHT. SIGH…”

On-screen text (literal):
“PRE BLACK FRIDAY!
ACT FAST
30% OFF!”

CHOOSE YOUR STARTING POINT

CHAPTERS

Special
Posted on November 26, 2025 by donnalake

From Donna's Desk:

Cartoon portrait of Donna Lake with short hair, purple glasses, and a lavender sprig beside her name deskplate

The break room was quiet this morning.

Not “someone burned the coffee again” quiet.
 Actual quiet.

I walked through the department and saw everyone looking very focused.
 Eyes on screens.
 Posture attentive.
 No one spinning in their chair or narrating their snack choices out loud.

For a full thirty seconds, I thought:

Wow. Look at us. Locked in. Productive. Mature.

Then I opened my laptop and met today’s real agenda:

PRE BLACK FRIDAY! ACT FAST! 30% OFF!

Ah.

Not focused.
Shopping.

Apparently they are all silently comparing air fryer prices right at their desks and wondering if a weighted blanket counts as professional development.

Meanwhile my inbox is a wall of urgency:
 “Last chance!”
 “Lowest price ever!”
 “Don’t miss this doorbuster on anxiety you did not know you had!”

Some days leadership looks like strategic planning and thoughtful mentoring.
 Today it looks like quietly closing the sale tab, opening the budget spreadsheet, and reminding myself that “Add to Cart” is not a coping strategy.

So I am curious:

  • Have you ever tried to stay focused while your inbox screams that everything you own is suddenly obsolete and 40 percent off?

  • What helps you hold your boundaries, financial or emotional, when the whole world is yelling “Act fast!” ?

Drop a comment and tell me about your version of Pre Black Friday Brain.
 I will be here, doing my best to lead a department, ignore a discount code, and remember that not everything urgent is actually important.

-Donna

#IamDonnaLake
 #MiddleManagementMagic
 #QuietLeadership
 #BlackFridayBrain
 #DonnaLake

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