The Long and The Short Of It 370. Collegial
Oct 28, 2025
Explore the fine line between collegiality and constructive challenge in team dynamics. Jen and Pete dissect how excessive niceness can stifle honest feedback and limit effectiveness. Discover the power of shared goals to enable productive debates and meaningful revisions. They also highlight coaching techniques and the importance of challenging conversations to foster improvement. Tune in as they share insights on breaking down barriers to feedback and recalibrating communication for better collaboration.
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Collegiality Can Be A Red Flag
- Collegiality can mask a lack of meaningful challenge by prioritizing politeness over critique.
- Heidi Gardner and Pete warn that too much collegiality is a red flag for weak collaboration.
Workshop Discovery: Too Nice To Improve
- Pete noticed multiple leadership teams repeatedly described themselves as "collegiate" when running workshops and one-on-ones.
- Those teams hired him because they wanted more challenge and less polite harmony.
Good Critique Feels Annoying And Useful
- Valuable feedback often feels uncomfortable because it forces more work and improvement.
- Pete values sparky critique that makes him redo sections rather than bland praise.
