Team Snitch Will Receive an Epic Yet Calm Feedback Session
When the "Glass Half Empty" Guy Spills the Beans and Runs Off and Squels to the Big Boss
Well, folks, today we hit our first team hiccup—without even having the team fully established yet. Remember that "glass half empty" guy I mentioned a few days ago? The one who sees a rainstorm in every cloud? Well, he sprinted past me and the 2nd in command straight to the CFO, waving his little tattletale flag. It’s like he saw a light on in the basement and ran to tell the teacher. Classic.
So there I was, on a Friday afternoon, 3 PM, already chilling at the playground with my older kid, when my phone lights up like a Christmas tree. First a text, then a call from the 2nd in command, my key client and boss. Turns out Mr. "Glass Half Empty" is in a tizzy about various things I’m doing. Funny thing is, I had just walked him through the whole shebang, and he didn’t peep a word of concern. But now, he’s stirred up a storm in a teacup, dragging half the executives into an email chain. Absolutely pathetic.
So, I've got a snitch in my fledgling team. Great. I was all set to make this guy a hero, rolling out a cool new product. Now I’ve got to play damage control and lay down the law.
Here's my plan: a Feedback Talk. Just the kind I wrote about yesterday. One-on-one, mano a mano. Something like this:
“Hey [Name], I heard you voiced concerns to [Executive] about [1, 2, 3], which set off a whole lot of noise on Friday afternoon and hurt the reputation of our project. I was pretty surprised and disappointed since we just talked it through one-on-one and you didn’t share your concerns with me then.
Pause.
In the future, I’d recommend sharing your concerns with me or the 2nd in command first so we can address them together and sort things out with the supplier. What do you think?”
Feedback in action, folks. I’ll let you know how it goes down.
So long, see you on the other side.
Walter
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Current Books in Parallel Reading:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Pyramid of Success by Coach Wooden
Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Habits I’m Working On:
• Fitness & Health: More sports, healthy eating, no junk food, lots of veggies, and less sugar. Aim: Sports 4 times a week (weights and running).
Mindset: I’m a runner and I’m healthy.
Status: yes 6km run at the beach, nice run
• Dental Health: Flossing daily to avoid crowns and root canals.
Mindset: I have healthy teeth and I don’t hear the drill sound anymore
Status: I lost my dental floss and need to buy a new one
• Writing: Practice, practice, practice—daily diary entries, no excuses.
Mindset: Friday - today was hard, fell almost asleep when I brought the kids to bed
• Weight: 112 kg (still still no scale)
Mindset: I’m a healthy and control my weight to feel better
Consecutive Days Posting on Walter’s Diary:
Eighteen (18)