Calling a Spade a Spade

Everyone in the office knew that the new project was failing, but no one dared

to say it out loud. Meetings were filled with polished words like “minor setbacks” and “temporary delays.”

The manager smiled, nodded, and moved on, pretending everything was fine.

One afternoon, Meera joined the meeting for the first time. She listened quietly

as excuses piled up and charts were adjusted to look better than they were.

Finally, she raised her hand. “With due respect,” she said calmly, “this project isn’t

facing minor issues. It’s failing because we ignored customer feedback and rushed the design.

Let’s call a spade a spade.” The room fell silent. Some people shifted uncomfortably,