“Sometimes you just have to say it like it is” – Part 2

“Sometimes you just have to say it like it is” – Part 2

Why does a positive work culture, well, work? Because it creates…

👉 Psychological safety by acknowledging that mistakes happen, viewing them as learning opportunities, and sharing our own learning processes.

👉 A growth-oriented culture, where there is attention to development, challenges, support, and assistance.

👉 Reduced stress, because the pressure of making mistakes or things going differently is lifted.

👉 Stronger connections among colleagues and better team cohesion, because everyone is seen as a fallible human being whose intent is viewed separately from the outcome.

Focusing on people and showing understanding. Ok, got it.

But what if something happens that really needs to be handled differently from now on? What if a gentle approach doesn’t work? 🤔

It still comes down to cooperation:

1️⃣ Introduce the topic with the right tone

“There’s something I’d like to discuss so we can figure out together how to handle it better going forward.”

2️⃣ Be specific and objective, not subjective and judgmental

“Here’s what happened and its impact. Are you familiar with this case?”

3️⃣ Ask: “How did you feel it went?”

Most people are already quite self-critical and usually already know what solution to propose!

4️⃣ Include the surrounding circumstances and also compliment them for what they did well!

This cements the fact that they’re not doing everything wrong—your focus is just on what didn’t work.

5️⃣ Involve them in deciding how to solve it!

Ownership and having a say are central to cooperation.

6️⃣ Offer your support

“What can I do to support you in this?”

“André, that’s all well and good, but I simply don’t have the TIME to handle it so perfectly every single time!

I’m not a psychologist with endless amounts of time!”

I hear you.

Tomorrow we’ll look at how to do this in a stressful situation with no time to handle it “perfectly.”