You do the responsible thing. You schedule a meeting with the CEO. You come prepared.
You bring vendor estimates, resource capacity analysis, dependency maps, risk assessments, and a beautifully formatted Gantt chart that took you three hours to perfect. You present a realistic 18-month timeline with clear milestones, contingency buffers, and success criteria.
The CEO listens intently, nodding at appropriate moments. When you finish, they lean back and smile. "I really appreciate your thoroughness and professionalism. This is exactly the kind of thinking we need."
You feel a brief moment of relief. Maybe this will actually work.
Two days later, the CEO addresses the all-hands meeting. The entire company is on the Zoom call.
"I'm thrilled to announce that Project Phoenix will launch in just 6 months! Our amazing PM has assured me that with Agile methodologies and our talented team, we can absolutely deliver this game-changing solution on this ambitious timeline!"
Enthusiastic applause. Your phone starts vibrating with Slack messages. Your team is staring at you in the video grid, faces frozen in various states of confusion and betrayal.
You refresh LinkedIn. The lead developer's profile now says "ACTIVELY seeking opportunities."
What do you do?