Answering the Challenge

I had a budget meeting today to prioritize Capital Improvement Projects and their funding. I knew it was going to be tough and that they would be after me. As the attendee that was requesting the most in funding, I knew I had much to lose. It was the fiscal equivalent of the Kumite, the martial arts tournament made famous in the movie Bloodsport. Who would exit unscathed???

Once discussion started, I knew certain people had targeted me like the character Jackson, who gets injured in the tournament. Also like the movie, I had friends jump to my rescue just as Jean-Claude Van Damme's character Frank jumped to Jackson's rescue. In the end, my friends took up the fight for one of my specific projects when I was ready to give up, and because of their heroics, my project was saved and will live to see another day. Hooray!

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OK, so that is an overly dramatic version of what happened this morning, but Jennifer dared me to tie budget meetings to Jean-Claude, so I tried my hardest! In reality, yes, my one project was targeted for elimination. My manager, out on medical leave, had instructed me that I could let that one go if necessary to satisfy fiscal requirements for our overall department and CIP program. Surprisingly, 2 of my co-workers jumped in and defended my project more than I imagined, convincing the director we needed to leave it in! I need to write up a justification memo, but looks like my project has been saved. I did not expect that at all, but am very happy with the outcome.