Hey Reader,

Tuesday's post had a template. Four columns. This is the 1:1 where I first used it for real.

Early 2024. A tech lead on my team wanted the next level. Let's call him Harry Potter. Not his name, obviously. But Harry was strong. The kind of engineer you hand the hard thing to and stop worrying about it.

Harry believed he was ready. I did not.

The worst place a manager and a report can be

Not a bad rating. A gap between what each of us thought was true. Every 1:1 after that would have been a quiet argument.

So I did not argue. I sent him the doc. Rate yourself against the next level. Fill in all four columns. Come back.

He came back with every line marked ready. Not one gap.

I read it. Then I said one thing.

Rate yourself at the lowest value you can defend. And attach an example to each point. If you cannot attach an example to it, that point does not stand.

He went away again.

Version two

Some points dropped. We went back and forth on the rest. He pushed. I pushed. Each point had to survive a "show me".

Here is the part I did not expect.

Some of the gaps were mine

Harry had not led work across teams because I had not given him work across teams. That gap was there because of how I had allocated projects. Not because of his skill. It went on my list, not his.

We ended with a short list we both agreed on. His gaps. My gaps. Dates next to each.

I did not promote him that cycle. I knew I could lose him over it. Strong people have options.

He stayed.

Six months later I put him up. He got it. He stayed on my team for about a year and a half after that.

Why the rule works

The template is not the point. The rule is.

Lowest defensible value, with an example. It turns "I am ready" into a list you can act on. It also turns "you are not ready" into a list your manager has to act on. Both sides get homework. That is what makes it fair.

Do this this week

1. Fill the four columns for yourself. Lowest defensible value. One example per point.
2. Mark which gaps are yours to close and which need your manager to give you the work.
3. Take the second list to your next 1:1. Ask for the work, not the promotion.

Reply and tell me which point of yours dropped first. I read every reply, and the common ones will shape a future issue.

Next Thursday: the fastest way to get rejected in my system design rounds. It is not a wrong answer.

Either way, keep going. The effort you're putting in will compound.

TheGuidedGrowth.