The Leader Lab

2Playback

The next BU we stumbled upon in our research on what makes great managers different is a behavior that is so subtle we nearly missed it. We even doubted its significance until we realized it had also been identified as one of the most important BUs for a wide range of professionals, including physicians, psychologists, salespeople, consultants, lawyers, pilots, and hostage negotiators. This powerhouse BU goes by many names. At LifeLabs Learning, we call it the “Playback.”

A Playback is a paraphrase of what you heard someone say. Why does it help you become a great manager faster? Take a look at the following conversation. We're now a few weeks into Mia's role as a manager, and Olivia is starting to open up about her challenges at work. Notice where Playbacks could have made it a better conversation:

Version 1

Olivia:	Ugh. I'm avoiding my to-do list, and I'm not looking forward to our team project.
Mia:	What do you think is going on?
Olivia:	I don't know. I'm just kind of exhausted by everything lately.
Mia:	Is it that you don't take breaks?
Olivia:	I do, but I'm still tired.
Mia:	When was the last time you took some time off to recharge?
Olivia:	Well, I could use my vacation days, but then I'll be even more behind.
Mia:	When would be better timing?
Olivia:	I guess I could already set aside time in December when it's slower.

At first Mia is proud ...