I paused for two seconds, then went on. "I apologize because I used to think adults would appreciate being given freedom. I was wrong."
The room went dead still.
The projector turned on.
The first slide had one single line, which read, "Creative Team Policy Update & Revision Plan."
I said, "For the past few years, I've always believed the greatest respect you can give employees is trust and flexibility. I cared only about results, not attendance. I allowed remote work and didn't micromanage how you got things done. If I had an idea late at night, I'd send it over, with the unspoken understanding you'd handle it the next day. I thought that was trust. But over the past few days, I've realized I was wrong."
The second slide was full of hard numbers.
Over the past 12 months, the creativ
