Is this because someone above you panicked?

SCENARIO

It is 3:52pm on a Friday. Your manager sends you a Slack message: "hey, do you have 10 mins?"

You do not. You are 38 minutes from the end of your week. You have plans. The working day will end and the rest of your life will resume.

You say yes.

She joins the call visibly braced. She asks for a "quick view" on customer acquisition costs, cut by product line, over the last eight quarters. You don't have this. She asks that you make it available by Monday morning. The data lives in three different systems. Two of them are being migrated.

You ask why. She says the CFO has a call with the board on Tuesday. He wants to "come prepared."

You ask what specific question the board is asking. She pauses.

RESPONSE

A message on the front, hand-lettered - direct enough to signal, dry enough to deflect. And something on the back, just for you.

You knew you'd need this mug. You make sure she sees it the next time your camera catches the light.

It might not calm the CFO. It might not stop the cascade from hitting you first. But it will, without a doubt, be the most visible shrug you can perform while still saying yes.