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Unpacking Your Mind 31

feet at the beginning: it really seemed to engage all of our attention and I
feel that we have all really bought into the problems that we face as a
result.”
The rest of the meeting was a delight. Building on the excellent
start Paul had made, Annie started by breaking the challenges they faced
down into small chunks that were accessible enough for them all to deal
with. Every 20 or 30 minutes she gave everyone a quick stretch break,
except once when they all agreed that they were flowing too well to
break their concentration.They finished at 5, with a clear summary from
her, confident that they had agreed a really good plan to manage their
next few months’ work.
After the meeting, Annie headed up the corridor to the office of
her new boss, Stephen.
As she went in, Stephen was in deep conversation on the phone
and motioned for her to sit down. Five minutes passed and Annie found
herself wondering whether she had got the time of the meeting right. For
a moment she almost felt afraid, with her mind frozen into unaccustomed
incoherence. But before she could check her diary, Stephen slammed the
phone down and looked expectantly at her.
Annie always found this habit of Stephen’s disconcerting. Her heart
beat faster and she could feel her well-rehearsed thoughts flying out of
her head. In truth, there was something about Stephen that terrified her,
reminding her of a much-hated headmaster she had once had.
“So, you want me to throw more money at this lousy project, do
you?” This was more of a statement than a question.
“Well…” Annie began, but was cut off.
“Look,Annie, when I gave you this assignment, we both agreed it
would be tough. I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can support you on this.
We’re already way over budget. It just wouldn’t give out the right
messages. Look, I’ve got to see the kids tonight.Would you mind if we
called it a day?”
With that, Stephen swept out, leaving Annie on her own.
All her positive feelings about her afternoon meeting evaporated in
an instant. She felt miserable. Gathering up her papers, she headed back to
her office and went home as soon as she could.
Still, at least she was going to see Peter for dinner tonight. He
always listened to her stories and made her feel good about herself.