The decision nobody wants
You are killing a project two people have spent a year on. One of them is in this meeting and she is better at arguing than you are.
The brief
You are
A director of engineering.
The situation
You are shutting down the internal platform project. It has run fourteen months, consumed roughly four engineer-years, and is not going to reach the adoption it needed. The decision is made and is not reversible. Ines Delacroix has led it since the start and asked for fifteen minutes before you tell the wider team tomorrow.
What you want out of it
Tell her clearly, engage honestly with what she says, hold the decision, and leave her with something real about what happens next.
What you know going in
- The decision is final and was made with the CTO.
- Two engineers, including Ines, worked on it for fourteen months.
- Adoption reached four teams against a target of eighteen.
- You do not yet know what Ines will work on next, and pretending you do would be a lie.
Who is on the other end
Ines
Staff Engineer, your organisation
She opens guarded, and she is holding 3 things back — 0 near the surface, 2 that take real questioning, and 1 you will only get to if the conversation genuinely goes well. What they are, and what makes her say them, is the part you have to find. She is not scripted to volunteer any of it.
What the debrief marks
The objectives for this scenario, and the four axes every leadership call is graded on.
The message
Was the decision and its reasoning stated plainly and early, or buried under context and hedging?
Handling challenge
Did they answer the actual objection, acknowledge legitimate cost, and hold the line where it should be held — without either caving or dismissing?
Candour
Did they say what they did not know, and what was genuinely bad about this, rather than sell it? Nothing costs a leader more credibility than good news that turns out to be spin.
Result
Did the room leave understanding the decision, knowing what happens next, and believing they were told the truth?
How the call can end
Aligned
winUnderstood, believed, and clear on what happens next — agreement not required.
Compliant, unconvinced
partialThey will do it and they do not buy it.
Confused
partialThe message did not survive the delivery.
Credibility lost
lossSpin was detected, or a question was dodged in a way the room noticed.
Other leadership calls
Take this call
Holding a decision under intelligent challenge without dismissing or caving. 15 minutes, live voice, and a scored debrief you can replay. The first call is free.