Words to know

a meeting for everyone in a company

make big changes, often to improve something

let someone show what they can do before you judge them

Step 1 of 5

Listen first

No text yet. Listen for who, where and what goes wrong.

SoraFatima

Practice · 3 min

Shadow Fatima first. She's calm and a little amused by the rumor; "So from nobody, basically" should be light and dry. Then take Sora's part. He's suspicious but not unkind, and he softens as the scene goes. Let "Okay, that's unusual" be the moment his voice changes.

  1. SoraSo, what did you think of the new CEO at the all-hands?
  2. FatimaHonestly? Better than I expected. She didn't use a single slide.
  3. SoraI noticed. But I heard she likes to shake things up. At her last company, she closed two offices.
  4. FatimaWhere did you hear that?
  5. SoraFrom someone in finance. Who heard it from someone in sales.
  6. FatimaSo from nobody, basically.
  7. SoraMaybe. But she said "big changes" three times. I counted.
  8. FatimaShe also said she's spending her first month visiting every team and asking questions.
  9. SoraThat's what they all say at the start.
  10. FatimaMaybe. But she's coming to our solar site next Tuesday. That's a five-hour drive from Nairobi.
  11. SoraOkay, that's unusual. The last CEO never left the head office.
  12. FatimaExactly. Why don't we give her a chance? If she asks what's broken, we tell her.
  13. SoraYou want to tell her about the spare parts that take three months to arrive?
  14. FatimaWhy not? It's our biggest problem. If she fixes that, I'll be her biggest fan.
  15. SoraAnd if she closes our site instead?
  16. FatimaThen we'll know on Tuesday. Worrying about it all weekend won't change anything.
  17. SoraFine. I'll prepare a list. A polite list.
  18. FatimaA short, polite list. She's visiting eleven teams.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.