Has this ever happened to you?
You’re in a one-to-one with one of your leaders, and they bring up a conflict with a peer, complaining that:
“I disagree with their decisions”
“I don’t see any movement”
“I’m unhappy with their behaviour”
After voicing their concerns, they ask you to intervene.
How should you respond?
A word to the wise: Passing along their feedback is tempting, but it’s a trap. You’ll quickly find yourself in the middle where each side believes they’re right.
What looked like a bad decision when you heard the original complaint makes far more sense when you hear the other side’s rationale. What sounded like no movement failed to acknowledge the work that had been achieved.
And of course, each person has a different recollection of their behaviour.
The better alternative is to empower your leader to give their feedback directly. Ask questions such as:
“What stops you from giving this feedback…