Version 1
| Luca: | No one asked me for my perspective. Everyone's just rushing to do their own part. |
| Mia: | What don't you like about how the project turned out? |
| Luca: | The work ended up okay. Though if someone checked in with me, I would have told them this client prefers to see all the raw data, not the summary. |
| Mia: | Okay, we can definitely send them the raw data. Thank you. |
| Luca: | But in general, what's so hard about getting input early? I always involve others in client presentations. It's not hard. |
Once the conversation finally ends, Mia realizes Luca wasn't ready for problem-solving. He needed to be heard first. She presses her Do-Over Button and tries again:
Version 2: Do-Over
| Luca: | No one asked me for my perspective. Everyone's just rushing to do their own part. |
| Mia: | Sounds like you want to be included in the process. |
| Luca: | Yes. Exactly. |
| Mia: | I also want that. How about we build a check-in with you into the workflow? |
| Luca: | Thanks for saying that. Yeah. I can put together an idea of how that would work. |
Train your brain to spot Playback opportunities by observing another conversation, this time between Mia and her manager, Alex. As you observe their discussion, notice where your brain starts wanting a Playback:
Version 1
| Mia: | We can either prioritize hiring, or we can improve our onboarding process first. I'm worried if we don't focus on onboarding now, any new hire will take a while to become a solid contributor. But if we delay hiring, we might end up burning out the team. |
| Alex: | How are you hoping to improve the onboarding process? |
| Mia: | Well, we don't really have anything structured in place. I'd like to create a plan, but I just keep wondering what will happen if we put off hiring. Luca and Olivia are already really tired. |
| Alex: | Yeah, that's a good idea. I think we should definitely do that. |
| Mia: | Okay. Thanks for your support. That's where I'll start. |
Pop quiz! What solution did Mia and Alex agree on? Even though Mia leaves the conversation energized, she soon realizes that she and Alex might have two totally different interpretations of the plan. Sensing a “managing up” moment, Mia hits the Do-Over Button:
Version 2: Do-Over
| Alex: | How are you hoping to improve the onboarding process? |
| Mia: | Well, we don't really have anything structured in place. I'd like to create a plan, but I just keep wondering what will happen if we put off hiring. Luca and Olivia are already really tired. |
| Alex: | Yeah, that's a good idea. I think we should definitely do that. |
| Mia: | Okay. And just to make sure we're aligned, it sounds like we agree that I should prioritize hiring over onboarding. Is that how you see it too? |
| Alex: | Oh! I was actually agreeing that it makes sense to improve onboarding. But if you want to already start interviewing candidates that's also an option. |
| Mia: | Okay, so it sounds like if I decide to prioritize hiring, I can move forward with it. |
| Alex: | That's right. Thanks for clarifying. |
Sounds like we're done with Chapter 2. Just for fun: Play back the key points of this chapter before looking at the summary. (And yes, that is our idea of fun.) See how well you did.
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In summary: A Playback is a repeat or a paraphrase of what you heard someone say. Use Playbacks to create clarity, prevent misunderstandings, and build trust faster.
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