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Hi, Canada! Okay, the microphone works. This is great; we are off to a good start.
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Thank you so much for coming to hear about failure, anxiety, and shame.
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I promise this won't be as depressing as it sounds. I'm Amy Newell, the Director of Engineering at Wistia.
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A lot of what I do as a manager is help engineers deal with the emotional suffering they experience in the workplace.
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I also have bipolar disorder, so I've spent decades intensively studying the problem of emotional suffering.
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I'm really excited to be here and share some of what I've learned with you.
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Do you recognize this movie? Raise your hand if you've seen it. Okay, good! There will be a lot of ‘The Princess Bride’ in this talk.
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I will provide light notes about the plot points in case you haven't seen it.
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I have some issues with the traditional gender roles in the movie, but it's still an excellent film.
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So, what are we going to cover in this talk? We will understand the problem: suffering at work is inevitable.
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However, our usual approaches actually make things worse and create more suffering in our attempts to deal with it.
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I’m going to talk about the types of suffering we encounter at work: failure, anxiety, and shame, and the lessons they may or may not have for us.
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Then, I’ll offer some ways to navigate your suffering so that you're moving through it productively.
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What I am not covering are toxic situations and how to change or escape them.
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For example, poor Buttercup does not want to marry Humperdinck, but she’s forced to.
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This talk isn’t about toxic workplaces or psychological safety; it isn’t about how to escape these places.
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There are essential topics such as social justice, diversity, and inclusion that I won't address here.
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These are vital topics, but this talk is about what happens even in the best workplaces, where you will still suffer.
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This is the pain we cannot escape. What’s the problem? Work is hard.
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We don't always know what we're doing; we are called upon to be productive, creative, and collaborative.
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Even in the safest workplaces, we will feel pain in the process of doing work.
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We can’t work together to do hard things without suffering, but trying to avoid pain is not the most skillful move.
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Avoiding pain hinders our ability to learn, plan, be creative, and work well with others.
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Let’s talk about our usual responses to pain.
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One common response is to blame others and lash out. It’s easy to think, ‘It is your fault that production went down.’
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Even with practices like retrospectives, where we're trying not to point fingers, you can still feel that anger inside.
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It becomes someone else's problem, which can lead to toxic behavior, even when you're trying your best not to let it.
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Another approach to dealing with pain is to turn it inward and blame ourselves.
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We think, ‘I screwed up. I made this mistake. I hate myself for doing a bad job.’
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This self-hate makes it hard to move past what went wrong.
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Our third response is to numb ourselves.
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Some of us use alcohol or drugs; I certainly have. Others may go shopping or binge-watch videos.
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While these behaviors are ordinary, there’s a problem: we can't selectively numb our emotions.
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When we numb the bad, we also numb the good.
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Brené Brown, who will come up later in this talk, emphasizes that we can't selectively numb emotion.
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If you numb your pain, you're also going to feel less joy. Worst of all, you may begin to avoid situations that cause pain.
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You might not even realize it; you unconsciously decide not to try things because you think they might cause pain.
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In doing this, you shrink your life while attempting to avoid pain.
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Here’s Miracle Max. His life got smaller; he lost his confidence to create miracles after being fired by Humperdinck.
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Wesley, who is mostly dead, asks Miracle Max why he should be alive.
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Miracle Max insists Wesley originally said he wanted to bluff cards, and says he won't make a miracle for that.
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His wife has to chase him around, insisting he should help.
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Miracle Max eventually agrees to help, showing that accepting suffering can lead to more freedom.
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The problem with how we deal with pain is not that these coping mechanisms are below morality.
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We are all human; we all cope. The issue is that they often cause more pain.
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Mindfulness teachers will tell you these are not skillful approaches to suffering.
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Let’s consider the ‘first arrow’ and the ‘second arrow’ metaphor.
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The first arrow is an external event that causes pain—a bug, an outage, or job loss.
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The second arrow is self-inflicted suffering—self-blame or trying to lash out.
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Life involves suffering, but we can learn to be skillful at reducing those second arrows.
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Let’s think about the concept of skillfulness. It means approaching suffering in a way that limits our pain.
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Skill is something we can learn; we don't have to be the Dalai Lama to deal with suffering effectively.
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Here’s a warm-up skill: practicing gratitude.
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I always think this sounds a little hokey, but there’s research indicating practicing gratitude actually works.
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To lift the mood, I'll take gratitude breaks throughout this talk.
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First, I’d like to express gratitude for indoor plumbing.
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I don’t have to use a chamber pot or go out to an outhouse. I can just turn on the sink.
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This is amazing, and I hardly ever take the time to appreciate it.
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Now, let’s discuss the types of suffering I promised: failure, anxiety, and shame.
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Failure is when something bad happens; anxiety is the fear something bad might happen.
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Shame is feeling like you are bad.
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For example, Buttercup and Wesley have just escaped the Fire Swamp, but they're captured by Humperdinck.
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They might be thinking about how they could have avoided this failure.
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The reality is that failure is inevitable; we all experience it.
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It could be a project delivered late, being fired, or running out of money as an entrepreneur.
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After becoming a manager, I realized failing at hiring was inevitable—for every interview process.
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No matter how well I interview or check references, I will hire someone unsuitable for the job.
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This reality causes a lot of pain, as I’m afraid of making a mistake.
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We must be able to accept the pain that comes with failure.
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Pain teaches us that something has gone wrong; it’s not just a side effect.
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The lesson from failure is in the pain itself; that’s how we learn.
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If I recall the intense pain from our last major release, I gather valuable lessons from it.
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We often have trouble learning from others’ mistakes; it's even harder to internalize the pain they experienced.
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Experience is a record of our failures forged through pain.
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Research suggests focusing on our emotional response to failure is more productive than rationalizing why we failed.
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This is because we often create justifications that don't reflect the real reasons.
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If we dwell on the pain rather than justifications, we can learn deeper.
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It’s easy to learn the wrong lesson from failure, like ‘don’t even try.’
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However, we should learn to get better from failures, not give up.
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Miracle Max shrank his life because he learned to avoid trying, not wanting pain.
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We want our lives to be as big as they can be.
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Here’s another gratitude break: this is my cat in a sheriff's costume.
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My best friend brought it over for Halloween, and it makes me really happy.
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Now, anxiety—something bad might happen—let's talk about that.
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Buttercup and Wesley are entering the Fire Swamp, fraught with dangers.
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In software, we also deal with anxiety and uncertainty, such as with upcoming reorganizations.
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Anxiety helps us stay alert to potential threats, but too much can paralyze us.
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While we need to be aware of risks, we exaggerate them too often.
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Gratitude break—let's appreciate brunch!
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There’s day drinking and eggs, and I just had a great doughnut.
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Now back to another challenging emotion: shame.
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Shame makes us feel unworthy—like we don't deserve love or approval.
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This often manifests in software development as fear of inadequacy.
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For example, if you feel you’re not smart enough, it's easy to develop imposter syndrome.
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We often compare ourselves to perceived ideals and feel inadequate.
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Shame leads to procrastination and an addiction to self-improvement, making us feel worse.
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It tells us we can’t get better or that we are unworthy of success.
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However, when we manage shame skillfully, we can separate our behaviors from our self-worth.
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Buttercup, after her dream, decides to take action, despite her shame.
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She tells Humperdinck she will not marry him, which is a significant step.
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Taking action, even when feeling ashamed, opens pathways for change.
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For example, I set regular subscriptions to make life easier and ensure I always have what I need.
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Now, one more gratitude break: look at this amazing vegetable!
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You can buy it, stare at it for a while, and then enjoy the fruits of your labor.
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Failure helps us learn, anxiety helps us deal with risk, and shame masks guilt.
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But how do we skillfully navigate these painful emotions while minimizing additional pain?
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Here are some skills for suffering we've already met: practicing gratitude.
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Pain is temporary; if you don't like the weather, wait a minute.
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Emotions don’t last unless we feed them. Remember that pain always ends.
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As we become more skillful with our pain, it won't last as long, and we will throw fewer second arrows.
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Also, remember that you are not alone. Pema Chödrön says suffering is part of life.
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We don’t have to feel it’s happening just because we personally made a wrong move.
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Sharing your pain is a way to recognize you’re not alone; it reduces suffering’s intensity.
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Reality-checking helps too: am I perceiving this accurately?
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Ask others what they see; that perspective can help you cope.
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Suffering can fuel empathy or bitterness; you get to choose.
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One friend reflected on feeling shame regarding a codebase while being mindful of the context.
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This helped him feel empathy for others and not badmouth their code.
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Next, remember to orient toward your values and where you're going.
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When I speak, I face anxiety, but I do it because I want to share something valuable.
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Remember what you care about; it's motivation to move through pain.
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If you’re feeling paralyzed, do the next smallest thing.
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When I first started this talk, I opened Keynote and put my title down.
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Sometimes, it may be simply opening an email or reading a message.
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Taking that small step can lead to immediate relief.
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Let’s talk about mindfulness approaches; one called ‘RAIN’ can be especially helpful.
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RAIN stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture.
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First, identify when you're feeling pain. Pay attention to your feelings.
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Notice when you feel the urge to blame others or fall into self-hatred.
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Recognize you must be suffering in these moments.
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Allow your pain to exist without trying to change how you feel.
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Investigation means being curious about your pain; it’s not just a singular experience.
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As you investigate, you may discover your emotions are changing.
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Finally, nurture yourself. Practice self-compassion.
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Would you criticize a friend for being in pain? No, you would offer comfort and kindness.
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Do the same for yourself; say phrases that resonate with you.
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Rest in awareness of your feelings; remember you are not just your suffering.
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When you’re confident that you can navigate your pain, your opportunities for living greatly expand.
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Wesley is mostly dead but showing determination to save Buttercup.
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He uses what he has to navigate suffering skillfully.
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Skillfully managing your pain will make you happier, healthier, and a better developer.
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Increasing your empathy will improve your team dynamics, reducing conflict.
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You’ll take less pain out on your coworkers, leading to a healthier work environment.
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As you become more resilient to failure, you’ll learn more effectively and have reduced anxiety.
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You’ll be more productive and spend less time numbing yourself.
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Life hurts; we are all in this together.
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Let's stop running from the pain and instead be compassionate—toward ourselves and others.
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This is a practice; there’s no moment when you will have mastered it.
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Here are some resources: if you haven’t seen ‘The Princess Bride,’ I recommend it!
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Check out the mindfulness talk next.
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Jennifer Two is giving a talk on burnout, addressing toxic situations more deeply.
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Try out some of the skills for dealing with suffering that I’ve shared.
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Please reach out to me at the conference or on Twitter if you want to discuss more.
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And have fun storming the castle!
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I guess I have about four minutes for questions if people want to ask.
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That’s a great question regarding having one-on-ones with team members.
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First, establish a trusting relationship.
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If you think someone may be in pain, check in with them.
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You can say, ‘You might be feeling pain. How are you doing? Do you need anything?’
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Sometimes, offering someone a break when they’re in pain can be extremely helpful.
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Additionally, always ask if they are comfortable sharing how they feel.
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One question about the ‘Five Whys’ process; it can be useful but may sometimes go wrong.
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It’s essential to address any pain that may arise in these discussions.
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Acknowledging the emotional aspects of any meeting can create a more productive atmosphere.
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Finally, if emotions are seen as inappropriate at work, that can create a toxic environment.
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It's important to communicate that emotions are a natural part of the human experience.
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If someone breaks production, you should encourage an open conversation rather than dismissing their feelings.
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And acknowledge that it’s okay to feel pain about the situation.