What is it like to bring you bad news?
Before changing anything, find out what you're actually working with.
About 15 minutes this week
The practice
Ask one person, privately, this exact question: "When something goes wrong on a shift, what makes it easier or harder to tell me?" Then say nothing for ten seconds. Write down what they say, word for word, and do not act on it this week.
Short read
Most leaders assess their own approachability by intention rather than by effect. The intention is almost always good — that is not the variable. The variable is what people have learned to expect from the last hundred interactions, most of which you have forgotten and they have not. The gap between “I have an open door” and “people walk through it” is where safety culture actually lives. This week is measurement, not repair. Resist the urge to explain yourself when you hear the answer; explaining is the reflex that produced the gap.
Baseline Conversation Card
The question, the ten-second rule, and a space to record the exact words used.
Optional depth
Not required to complete the week — read it only if you want more on this.
12 Rules That Turn Managers Into True Safety LeadersListicle · 24 pages Download
Emotional Self-Awareness CompassGuide · 28 pages Download
Reflection
What did they say that you would not have predicted?
Follow your organization's own reporting policy. This program is about the conditions around reporting, not a substitute for it — it is organizational and communication content, not clinical guidance.