The moment

Sofia has heard that her manager, Kenji, is building a team for a new warehouse project. She wants in, but she already runs a client account in Nairobi, and she knows Kenji will worry about her workload. She goes in with a plan. Listen for how she answers his concern with a practical fix instead of a promise to work harder.

The conversation

SofiaKenji
  1. Sofia
  2. Kenji
  3. Sofia
  4. Kenji
  5. Sofia
  6. Kenji
  7. Sofia
  8. Kenji
  9. Sofia
  10. Kenji
  11. Sofia
  12. Kenji
  13. Sofia
  14. Kenji

Words to know

ask for someone's opinion before you decide

having almost too much work to do well

regular work that doesn't need much new thinking

fall behind schedule or drop in quality

give someone news as things happen

Check yourself

1What is Kenji's main concern?
2How does Sofia answer his concern?
3What does Kenji's last line tell Sofia?

Practice · 4 min

Play each line and repeat it in the gap. Then take Sofia's part with her lines muted. Pay attention to "That's fair. But..." The agreement comes first, briefly, and it makes the "but" much easier to hear.

  1. SofiaKenji, have you got five minutes? There's something I'd like to run by you.
  2. KenjiSure, come in. Is this about the Nairobi account?
  3. SofiaPartly. I heard you're putting together a team for the new warehouse project.
  4. KenjiThat's right. It's a big one, and it starts next month.
  5. SofiaI'd really like to be on it. I think I'm ready to take on more.
  6. KenjiI'm glad you asked. My worry is that you're already stretched with Nairobi.
  7. SofiaThat's fair. But the hardest part of Nairobi is done, and it's mostly routine now.
  8. KenjiRoutine still takes time. Who'd handle the weekly reports?
  9. SofiaAmara's been helping with them, and she's asked for more client work anyway.
  10. KenjiSo you'd hand the reports to her and keep the client calls yourself?
  11. SofiaExactly. That way nothing gets dropped, and she gets the experience she wants.
  12. KenjiLet's try it for a month, then. If Nairobi starts to slip, we'll talk again.
  13. SofiaThat sounds fair. I'll talk to Amara today and keep you posted.
  14. KenjiGood. And honestly, I was going to ask you anyway.

Say it today

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