Andy sat in his cube with his head buried in his hands.
The photos of his family pouted in sympathy. Even the photo of Tech—his yellow Chihuahua—seemed to have a tear in his eye.
Hours of preparation had been wasted, solely because one developer's perspective differed from his.
Why did this Guru hate him so?
"Your idea isn't bad, Andy. It just won't work for this team." No further explanation was required. Everyone trusted the Guru.
Andy had been highly successful in previous jobs, but at this company, it was all about the Guru. Without his support, no one else would listen.
For days, Andy agonized over his options. Finally, he decided to confront the Guru, but it was Friday—telecommuting day for the team.
"I have a problem I need to get your advice on. Can I come by?"
"I'm kind of busy."
"It'll only take a minute. I'm about a block away." Andy clicked-off the phone and drove to number 1 Superior Street.
As the Guru answered the door, his cell phone came alive with the Bride of Frankenstein theme. It was his ex, reporting that child support was late again, she had been beat by her boyfriend, and that their 13-year-old was in jail. After a brief shouting match, he slammed the phone against the wall.
"Now, Andy, what the hell do you want?"
"How about a beer?"
The two took the day off and shot pool for hours. Andy was shocked that he could do something better than the Guru.
By day's end, the Guru admitted that he liked Andy—and his ideas—but he envied the fact that Andy's personal life was so perfect. Andy recounted some events from his life that revealed less than perfection, and the two began to learn from and to trust each other.
On Monday morning, the Guru suggested that the team revisit some of Andy's ideas, and ultimately the project and the company was better for it.
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