Read the evidence, stay connected

You need to know whether the business is achieving its priorities and what your decisions are asking people to do. Agree with your managers on the results, work examples, and unresolved decisions to review regularly. Use existing information before requesting another report.

Read trends against the target and examine differences between teams. Check definitions, sources, and changes in demand. Ticket counts or hours can help explain capacity; pair them with quality and customer results before judging success.

Payam and I want evidence that can change a decision. Ask what a reported skill assessment demonstrates, where it was observed, and what remains uncertain. Keep self-assessments and AI practice results distinct from observed performance at work.

Stay in contact with team members as well as managers. In a skip-level conversation, ask where company priorities or procedures make their work difficult. Separate what you hear from your interpretation, and check the context before acting. Resolve routine work changes with the responsible manager; handle concerns about that manager through the appropriate confidential process.

Review successful work deliberately too. If every discussion centers on missed targets, you can overlook the preparation, coaching, and coordination keeping other teams successful. Ask what people did to produce a good result and which actions deserve continued attention. Stop Extinguishing High Performance explains how responding only to problems can erode the work you want to sustain.

When you observe a useful action, recognize it specifically: “You checked the customer’s requirement before we committed to the date.” Ask how the person prefers recognition and watch whether the action continues. Your attention is useful as reinforcement only when it increases the behavior.