Episode: 440

Episode Title: If You Need a Witness

Can I get a witness? Sometimes when you need to give someone tough feedback, witnesses can be a big help. Let’s talk about it, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 440 show:

You’re now in Perna Syndicate—and I’m glad you’re here! As we talk about tough conversations in the remote workplace, I think we should all admit there have been times when we were too close to the issue. Maybe we had an overly emotional response or were just unable to prepare for the conversation effectively. Either way, we knew we weren’t the right person to deliver the message. 

If something needs to be addressed and as a manager you find yourself very upset, angry or just confused, it’s time to step back for a minute. Bringing in a third party—either another manager or someone from human resources—can help you have the tough conversation with balance and fairness to everyone involved.

However, there’s an important caveat here. You never want the other person to feel like you’re ganging up on them. Instead, you should explain that you wanted to include others so that everything can be fair, professional, and ultimately positive.

In general, the others that you bring into the conversation should be there as witnesses. They should take a back seat so that the person receiving feedback doesn’t feel they’re being talked down or outnumbered. 

The biggest message you want to convey is that you care. Their progress, their ability to advance in the organization, and contribute to the bigger vision can be accelerated with the insight you’re going to share. You want them to succeed.

If you need to bring more people into the conversation, that’s ok. Keeping things calm and professional will help everyone walk away feeling like a vital part of the organization—not just today, but also well into the future.

As always, I’m so grateful that you’re part of The Perna Syndicate! Thanks for listening this week. I’m your host, Mark Perna, and we’ll see you back here next week for more on The Perna Syndicate.