It's a "Gray Area"

This is a situation where the pun is intended. One website (https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-colour.htm) states a gray area is "something without a clear rule or answer", and that goes for the walls in the Imagination Portal (IP).

A few weeks ago, I was called in for a meeting to discuss the paint scheme for the IP. Originally the walls were to be yellow. A verdict came in that yellow was out. I thought, "no big deal, we can find another color". After discussing with my boss and the interior designer, we decided on a pale rose with an undertone of yellow, "frangipane"; essentially, it was a warm color. We got the green light to continue with the project . . . until today.

My boss looked out of his office window into the lobby of the library. He saw me and frantically waved for me to come to his office. Out of blue he tells me that the interior designer thinks that the shade we chose won't work and that we must select one of two choices, both of which are gray. OH NO! Now my staff and I are seeing red because it wasn't easy to come up with the fallback color. Plus, gray? It seems rather drab, don't you think? And . . . we have to decide in a two hour window in order to ensure the project stays on target. Our deadline is October 20th, which is already a month or so behind schedule. 

Forever an optimist, I am tickled pink because it's a golden opportunity for my employees to no longer feel like black sheep in this project. Since there is a change of color for the room, and our office, we now can collaborate on a color for the office.

Moral of the story: The grass is always greener on the other side. As a manager, you might think you have a final say until you realize it's not always black and white and someone else makes a different call. Remember to roll with the punches to avoid being black and blue. Bonus if you do, you'll succeed with flying colors.