They asked her to lead the new initiative. Publicly. Town hall. “You’re the one for this.”
She built it. Nearly a year. Research, pilot programs, a presentation the COO called “exactly what we needed.”
Two months later, they eliminated her department.
Not because the work failed. Because the work succeeded. The recommendations showed how much needed to change. The pilot programs worked, which meant someone would have to fund them at scale.
So they eliminated the person who proved they needed to change, and kept the status quo that didn’t require a budget.
The initiative’s first casualty was the person who led it.