“Stop. Don’t send that.”
Nina reaches across the table before Marcus can hit the button.
The message to the client is already written.
We found a serious error. Your launch will be delayed.
Nobody in the room argues about what happened.
Their team made the mistake. If it isn’t fixed, the client’s launch moves.
The only question is what the client should hear right now.
Marcus wants to send the message immediately.
“The launch belongs to them,” he says. “They should know what’s happening before we decide for them.”
He also knows what that honesty could cost. The client could lose confidence in the team. They could lose the account before they get the chance to repair the work.
Nina turns the laptop toward the rest of the team.
They have the weekend.
If they start now, they can try to fix the error before the client notices. If the delay remains, they disclose it then. If the repair works in time, the launch stays on track and the client never has to absorb a problem the team created and corrected.
“We don’t know that we can fix it,” Marcus says.
“We don’t know that we can’t,” Nina replies.
Telling the client now would give them the truth immediately. It would also hand them an unfinished problem before the team knows whether the problem will ever reach them.
Waiting would give the team time to take responsibility through repair. It would also keep the client in the dark while the team makes a decision that affects the client’s launch.
The room splits.
One side sees disclosure as part of the job. The client shouldn’t have to discover that the team decided what information they were allowed to know.
The other side sees repair as part of the job. A team should correct its own mistake instead of creating panic before it knows the final impact.
The message remains open.
Behind it is the repair plan for the weekend.
They can send the truth now and risk the account.
Or they can close the message, start fixing the error, and disclose it only if the delay remains.
Marcus moves the cursor away from the send button.
Everyone looks at Nina.
So now the next move is yours.
Do you tell the client about the error immediately?
Or fix it first and disclose only if the delay remains?