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My top tech is making more mistakes lately. Time for a tough talk?
At my auto shop, I've got this tech who's been with me since day one. His fixes used to be perfect, but now I'm finding loose bolts and missed steps. Part of me wants to pull him aside and lay it out plain, so he knows what's up. The other part worries that being too blunt will make him feel attacked and he might leave. I've heard from other shop owners that ignoring it only lets small issues become big ones. But I also value our friendship and don't want to ruin it over a few errors. It's a tight spot where business needs and personal ties clash. How do you balance honesty with keeping peace on your team?
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eric_perez7mo ago
Have you thought about framing it as checking in on him instead of calling out errors? I read that being direct but kind, like asking if something's affecting his work, actually helps more than ignoring stuff, which kinda goes against what @wilson.uma said. Maybe the goal is to solve the problem together, not just list the mistakes.
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matthew_jackson157mo ago
Remember one time at work I kept fixing this guy's report formatting. Tiny stuff like font sizes, spacing. Meant well, thought I was helping. Turns out he saw it as me picking at him, not the real issue which was his data being wrong. Sometimes trying to solve it together just feels like you're adding to the list.
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