On Being the Person Your Team Vents To
If you’re doing the job well, your team will vent to you. They’ll tell you about the project that’s frustrating them, the colleague who’s driving them up the wall, the process that feels pointless, the decision that came down from leadership and doesn’t make any sense. They’ll bring you anxiety about their career trajectory, frustration about not getting a promotion, worry about whether the team’s work is valued. And they should be able to do this — because a manager who can’t receive this is a manager their team will learn not to trust. ...