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Hi Reader, Welcome to Your Dose of Mana — a quick, weekly note with: If your biggest business challenges are actually people challenges, you’re in the right place. 1 Real Story I recently wrote about reconnecting with the women of ’86, a group of friends I’ve had for nearly four decades. During that same weekend in New York, somewhere between laughter, old stories, and the kind of conversations that only happen when people have known each other across multiple versions of themselves, the conversation turned to work. And, more specifically… challenging employees Because no amount of professional success protects you from complicated people. It only gets more intense. One of my friends shared that she’d been speaking to several groups about leadership recently and said something that stopped me mid-conversation: “Curiosity is a sign of respect.” I immediately noted it. Because it perfectly captured something I talk about in my leadership work. When people frustrate us, curiosity is often the first thing to disappear. We stop asking questions. And we start writing stories in our heads. They’re lazy. And once we’ve written that story, we treat it like fact. That’s where things go sideways. 1 Leadership Insight Curiosity communicates: I believe there’s something I don’t yet understand. That’s respect. Judgment communicates: I’ve already decided who you are. That’s often disrespect disguised as efficiency. Curiosity sounds like:
It doesn’t mean avoiding accountability. It means gathering facts before assigning blame. And in leadership? That distinction matters. I’ve worked with numerous leaders who are convinced someone is underperforming, disengaged, or difficult. Sometimes they’re right. And…sometimes the issue is:
Curiosity helps you find the actual problem. 1 Practical Takeaway This week, before reacting to someone’s behavior: Get curious first. Ask one more question. Challenge one assumption. Pause before writing the story. Curiosity won’t solve everything. Some people are still wildly messy. But curiosity creates the possibility of understanding before conflict. And in both leadership and life? That’s one of the clearest ways we show respect. 1 Dose of Art A little whimsy. A little joy. A little doodle.
Doodle by Gary Schechner, 5/1/26 Even though this is a “mass email” I mean it when I say—let me know what you are up to. Reply, book a Zoom, pick up the phone. I’d love to catch up. If people issues are slowing down your business, let’s fix that. Thanks for letting me show up in your inbox. More joy. Less friction. Always. |