DISQUS

It all comes down to what makes a good story: good characters and good action (rising tension, climax). Chris, you nail all three in your suggestions.

And yes, big or little, it doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a character people care about, facing a problem we want him/her to solve, and a resolution that leaves us satisfied.

Good to know I'm giving good advice... or at least, I'm not the only one giving *this* advice.

I find mgmt often has a tough time communicating #1. There is a fear of acknowledging that some people work better than others... Ironically, I don't often see lasting negative effects at the employee level. Since school—when GPAs were openly published—they've learned to deal with forced rankings. Even many of the Gen Ys I work with who didn't get that stuff in school CRAVE honest feedback in the workplace.

So managers, the faster you can develop the courage to tell it like it is, the more trust you'll engender and the easier it'll be to manage through the tough times.