When the CEO Shrugs: A Letter to the Overwhelmed Internal Integration Lead (INTRO)

You didn’t ask for the integration lead role. It was framed as a stretch opportunity, a sign of trust. But what you got was a second job, with little direction and even less support. Now you're chasing updates, navigating politics, and trying to keep morale up. When you raise red flags about pace, misalignment, or talent risk, you get the same response: “Some people will leave. That’s just how these things go.”

But it’s the best people who leave. The ones with influence, trust, and quiet leadership. When they don’t feel heard, they leave early, and others follow. And by the time the impact reaches the top, it’s already too late to hold them. [Click to read the full story on Substack]