An individual is invited to present a proposal at the department leader's staff meeting.This leader is your manager's manager (2-up from the individual.)The proposal is the result of the work of a cross-functional team. The team has done an excellent job in developing the proposal and the team has reviewed the proposal and presentation content with your manager and several other leaders. There is substantial support. The project is important to your manager, to the department leader, and to the department.

The individual is introduced by his/hermanager and the individual begins the presentation. On about the third slide of the presentation, a member of the leader's team (not your manager & not the leader), interrupts the individual and says:

• My team has not been involved in the project (which is true.);
• What is the impact on my team?;
• There is another project we've been working on which has similar goals but we've just started on it.;
• Then, the member of the leader's team, looking at the department leader, says "am not going to be able to approve the proposal without a thorough review by my team."

Present how the individual would respond to both questions below from the overall department leader.

The department leader, having heard these questions from his direct report, looks at the individual and asks:

• "what thoughts can be shared on the impact on this individual's team, even though they have not been involved yet?" (remember the individual hasn't gotten too far into the presentation with respect to impact on any department)
• (after the individual provides his/her response above), the department leader says "Does the individual want to continue or postpone until the next meeting?"