Dialogue: Respond When Your Direct Report Hides a Mistake
Handle a hidden mistake in a way that addresses the behavior and improves future learning signals.
Marcus M Direct report Delayed truth 4 min Trust test Marcus says, “I saw the mismatch yesterday, but I wanted to fix it before raising it.” The report has already gone out. Your response now will influence whether future problems surface earlier or later. Manager move 2 min Framework Separate the miss from the signal delay You need to address both the work error and the choice to hide the early signal. Trap Unload anger so hard that next time the truth arrives even later. Accountability stays intact and future truth gets cheaper. Teams learn faster when bad news is…
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