We continue to ponder over what managers possibly mean when they say…
He is too crucial to our team: This is a powerful statement that seemingly conveys the criticality of an individual to the success of a team. Let's wear our truth spectacles and see the reality. This is really a ploy to make sure that a person gets to be soo enmeshed in what he is doing, that he cannot be moved anywhere else — effectively a kiss of death for that person's career. Many a time, it also means that the boss has someone else in mind for the plum post.
This is a challenge that you will relish: This can be viewed as the polar opposite of the earlier statement. In this case, a person who is considered inconvenient and/ or expendable is positioned as an adventurer who relishes the road never travelled before, giving the impression that he is like Captain James Kirk of Star Trek . The reality is that the challenge is a poisoned chalice that represents attempting to succeed in a venture where the probability of success is close to zero. It is reserved for sacrificial goats who are pumped full of adrenaline and who go commit harakiri with a happy smile on their faces.
(To be continued)