Share 16

A key account person on my team broke last week. A personal health scare caused them to disappear. They thought they could work through it so they didn't call out-- "I'll be online later catching up" that we didn't catch until it turned into a fire.

They're back this week and wracked with shame. They are clearly masking a LOT, and clearly have a lot they need to work through, and I'm not sure how to support them other than reinforce: we are here to help get the job done, and it's just a job. Safety nets in place, we can handle the work stuff. It's the hiding it that is getting me. Have I built a culture where people are afraid to fail? Or do I have a time bomb on my team?

As much as I want to compartmentalize, I can't separate this from the issues affecting the business. The financial picture is grim and while it's moving in the right direction, I'm afraid the changes we made to improve are too little, too late. We've already had layoffs this year and deeper cuts start impacting project delivery, which impacts retention, which impacts future financial health. 

Anything to address culture feels like giving staff a pizza day instead of raises. 

I'm moving forward until I hit a wall, and then I'm turning and changing directions. I'm just going, hoping to find a path that I can go down far enough without a wall that it feels like progress. But there are so many fuckin walls in this maze.