Team Decisions
The ladder of inference starts before the conclusion feels obvious
Use the ladder of inference to separate an observation from the conclusion you draw about a colleague, then ask a question that can change the picture.
LEADERSHIP · TEAMS · CHANGE
management
Team Learning
Start an incident review with a shared timeline before assigning explanations
Build a shared incident timeline from evidence before deciding causes, then turn the review into owned actions with clear checks.
People & Leadership
Give upward feedback about an observable decision, not a manager’s personality
Make feedback to a manager more useful by describing an observable decision, its work impact and a specific request for the next situation.
Leadership Practice
A Skip-Level Meeting Needs a Clear Purpose for Everyone Involved
Prepare a skip-level meeting with a clear purpose, agreed confidentiality limits and a follow-up route that avoids conflicting instructions.
Leadership Practice
Recognise Good Work Without Making Overtime the Standard
Recognition tells a team what is valued. Praise the useful contribution without implying that constant extra hours are the normal route to approval.
Practical management
A Team Metric Can Improve While the Work Gets Worse
Pair a team target with evidence of the outcome it is meant to improve so a better number does not quietly reward worse work.
People and Work
A New Starter Needs a First Task They Can Finish
Design a new employee’s first assignment with a clear outcome, an available reviewer and enough context to finish confidently.
Leading people
A Useful One-to-One Has Space for Work That Is Stuck
Use a manager one-to-one to uncover blocked work, clarify support and agree a next action instead of repeating a status dashboard aloud.