Leaning into upsets and Complaints

Every leader's secret wish is that all complaints would just magically evaporate into thin air. They pray to the office gods that if they just ignore that passive-aggressive Slack message or the long sigh in the meeting, the problem will fix itself. (Spoiler: It won't.)

Here's the spicy truth: complaints are actually a secret superpower. They're not just people being difficult or "a lot." Every single one of those grievances has a hidden agenda—a commitment in disguise. When your team member complains that a process is "stupid," they're secretly yelling, "I'm committed to efficiency!" When they whine about a lack of communication, what they're really saying is, "I'm committed to working together!"

We teach leaders to stop seeing complaints as a threat and start seeing them as a roadmap. We help you translate the frustration into the honest-to-god insight you need to build a better workplace. It’s like being a complaint whisperer. And when you learn to embrace the mess, you create a culture where people can actually be real with each other without everyone quitting, quietly or otherwise. .

Going back to “I” instead of “We”

I know there is no “I” in team, but some people weaponize “we”.

We've all heard it: "We really need to step up our game on this project," or "We need to be more customer-focused." It sounds collaborative, right? But what it really means is, "Y'all need to be more like me." It's a sneaky way to call people out without actually calling them out. It puts the blame on everyone else, when the only one you can hold to account is yourself.

So, how do you fix it? By bringing the "I" back.

We help teams stop using "we" to talk about other people's problems and start focusing on what "I" can do differently or better still what “I” promise. This simple shift in language—from "We need to fix this" to "I'm going to promise to..."—can change everything. It turns a group blame-fest into a conversation about personal responsibility and shared solutions, leading to real action and actual results.

Speaking more humbly about your view

It seems like every meeting has one person who says something like, "The fact is, if we don't do this, we're all screwed." They state their opinion as an absolute fact, which makes a simple disagreement feel like a full-blown war. This happens all the time and it creates sides—you're either with them or against them.

But it doesn't have to be that way. We show people how to disagree without making the other person a villain. We help teams see that a difference of opinion isn't a character flaw, it's just a different way of seeing the world. And when you create a space where people can disagree respectfully, that positive behavior spreads faster than a viral meme.

Adding rigor to making promises

Let's be honest, everyone wants more integrity at their company. But in a very "it's not me, it's you" way, they just see it as a problem with everyone else. You've heard the whispers: "If only Brenda in accounting would keep her promises..." or "That department head never follows through."

Our whole vibe is about getting real with that. Our process is basically a therapy session for your organization, minus the expensive couch. We've figured out how to get people to talk about integrity without the shame spirals or blame games. We help you and your team figure out a better way to handle the inevitable awkwardness of broken promises and missed deadlines so you can actually get stuff done without wanting to passive-aggressively Slack your whole team..