Harper was nervous to bring this up to their boss…

“I need to raise this,” Harper told themselves Thursday night. “But I just started a few months back. I don’t know how my boss is going to react.”

A few hours earlier, during a client meeting, Harper’s boss, Blake, delivered inaccurate information to their client. The inaccuracy would likely impact the agreed-upon strategy.

Blake isn’t just any boss, however. Blake is a star at ACME Corporation. A vice president, “30 under 30” award recipient, and the first ACME employee to deliver a TEDx talk, Blake is perceived to be one of its most valuable employees.

Harper, on the other hand, is a few months into professional life. They had a couple of internships that gave them the confidence this was the right career path, but this is a big step in Harper’s career.

For Harper to even consider letting Blake know they were wrong could be, as they say, “career limiting.”

After sleeping on it, and after seeking the advice of a mentor, the next morning Harper sent Blake a quick Slack message:

Harper thought Blake wouldn’t even read the message. “Blake is so busy!”

But just 15 minutes later Harper received a phone call.

“Hello?” Harper answered.

“Hey, it’s Blake! Saw your message. What would you like to discuss?”

Harper was a little stunned but kept their composure as they had prepared ahead of time to discuss the issue.

"Well…in the client meeting yesterday I noticed there was a slight discrepancy in the data presented. It seems there might have been a small error in the data on slide three, and I thought it might be worth double-checking. Perhaps we could review it together and update the figures for the client in case we need to update the strategy?"

“Hold on, let me look here as I pull it up,” as they briefly discuss the issue. “Goodness, Harper! Thank you for sharing. I’ll let the clients know right away.”

“Thank you, Blake, for welcoming my feedback. Means a lot to me!”

And their relationship blossomed as a result.

Why did this approach work for Harper?

Harper wasn’t afraid to show they’re a professional. No matter what stage you are in your career, or what your title is, you should be able to raise concerns without fear of retribution. Harper felt empowered and safe to provide constructive feedback.

Harper sought a second opinion. Reaching out to a mentor is invaluable, especially at the start of your career. Everyone should have three mentors:

• One at work.

• One outside of work but still in your profession.

• One outside of work and outside of your profession.

Blake checked their ego. It’s easy when you’re viewed as a company MVP to have the perception of “I can do no wrong.” Great leaders know they aren’t perfect and need help from others. Having a humble yet confident approach is the perfect combination! 

What this means for you: Even if you have the best of intentions, it can be intimidating for people to correct you! If you’re a leader, create a welcoming environment for your team. One example is to ask for feedback early and often from your team. Work with your peers to install this approach in your various workstreams. During cross-collaboration meetings, work with your peers to solicit real-time feedback from your teams. It might feel awkward at first, but naturally, you will see a willingness to open up.

Finally, how do we mitigate Harper’s nervousness? Ideally, Harper would have let Blake know right away, not the next morning.

Blake should communicate their interest in having their team speak up early and often. This begins during the hiring process, continues through onboarding, and is consistently raised during 1:1 conversations.

That said, sometimes it takes people a while to feel comfortable, so be patient.

And now for your MollyMoh update! Now she has her beautiful summer hairdo!