On another otherwise uneventful Wednesday, a stray calendar invite weaseled its way into my diary mid-afternoon. I hadn't heard from Jess all day which was somewhat unusual in its own right, but a two hour "Catch up" with her was unnervingly vague and came without explanation. It's sudden appearance felt a bit dramatic for Jess, and I found myself dreading it as the start time crept closer. Had I done something wrong? Was this a performance conversation? What else did we have to catch-up on? During a meeting with one of the other managers I asked if he had heard from Jess today. He said he hadn't, and that she had missed the morning management meeting. That was strange too, Jess rarely missed a meeting with senior people attending. Nevermind the fact she would skip my meetings, frequently.
