Glossary
The Cassandra Dilemma
Seeing a systemic problem clearly from a seat with no authority to fix it, and being ignored anyway. Named for the mythical prophet cursed to see the truth and never be believed.
The Cassandra Dilemma is the position of the mid-level manager, team lead, or high-performing individual contributor who can see exactly where the organization is wasting time and money, but doesn’t hold the budget or authority to fix it. Pitch the fix in a meeting and the response is usually some version of “we don’t have budget for that right now” or “let’s focus on this quarter’s number first.”
Most people in this position pick one of two paths: resignation, where they retreat and quietly burn out doing the work the old way, or departure, where they leave for a company that already gets it. AI-Powered Growth: Stop Guessing and Systematize Your Go-to-Market argues for a third path: become a Guerilla Tactician and build the proof yourself, without waiting for permission.
See also