Sarah was the best operations manager David had ever worked with. Organized, detail-oriented, reliable, she could take any chaotic process and turn it into a well-oiled machine. For five years, she was the backbone of the company’s efficiency efforts. So, when David needed someone to lead the innovation task force exploring new market opportunities, Sarah seemed like the obvious choice. She’d earned it. Moreover, she knew the business inside and

John Carter walked through the production floor of CarterTech Industries like he had a thousand times before. Same precision machinery humming along. Same high-quality electronic components rolling off the line. Same impressive operational efficiency that had made his mid-sized manufacturing firm a market leader. But something was different. And it was eating at him. The engineering department—once a bustling hub of creativity and experimentation—felt sterile. His teams were still executing