“OK, but what does this mean for me?”

“OK, but what does this mean for me?”

Any time you are communicating anything to anyone, this is where they start. And until they know the answer, they are going to have a hard to hearing you, because half their brain is busy trying to answer this question.

So start the conversation there.

“We’re rolling out an org change. Your job is safe. You’ll continue reporting to me. Your scope is expanding a bit, because my scope is expanding, and I need your help.”

Think about it like Maslow’s hierarchy¹ . First, people want to know about their job security² (“Do I still have a job?”) and financial security (“How does this impact my compensation?”).

Second, they want to know how it impacts their day to day environment. Is anything changing about who they report to, who they work with, who their stakeholders are.

Third, they want to know if this is it or if more changes are coming³ .

And only after all that — after they feel safe, secure, and stable — will they be interested in the strategic rationale, the bigger picture, all the “why” reasons.

Depending on the news, you might need to end the meeting early, to give people time to process and then come back to the conversation. That’s OK.

Most managers make the mistake of starting with the “why” context, because they feel the need to explain how we got here. Maybe they think it’ll lessen the shock of the actual news (it doesn’t) or it’s a subconscious way for them to delay confronting the hard part of the conversation (just rip the bandaid).

Even if the person you are talking to is, in the big picture, barely impacted by the news or not impacted at all, lead with that. People can smell right away when something is going on. Speak plainly, put them at the front of the conversation, and then expand out from there.

The Workshop

This is a newsletter-only section where I share a half-baked idea in hopes that y’all who are smarter than me can work it out with me.

Google announced a bunch of AI-related news yesterday, a day after OpenAI announced ChatGPT-4o.

Roundup of Google’s announcements here. And ChatGPT-4o here.

What has been on my mind for several months now is how damaging Google’s move towards GenAI powered search will be for companies reliant on SEO traffic. I’ve written about this several times this year. Casey Newton published an excellent write up yesterday, read the whole thing.

This morning, I was thinking about the “and then what” second order effects⁴ .

My theory — I’d love to know what you think, please leave a comment or respond via email! — is that GenAI powered search results will be good for low stakes searches. And for everything else, personalization and community-generated advice will be even more valued.

Examples of low stakes searches: high-level information gathering (stuff that would show up on Wikipedia or similar), spearfishing (looking to buy a very specific make and model of a thing), recipes for meals when it doesn’t matter if it’s not that great, etc.

Higher stake searches: information about a health condition, treatment, or procedure; anything that costs thousands of dollars (a vacation, a car, a house, a wedding); inspiration that reflects personal taste (interior design, fashion); finding a doctor, lawyer, etc.

With these higher stake searches, knowing what the GenAI-powered average answer isn’t good enough. People want to know what’s best for them, based on what they care about and their specific needs. And, getting the “truth” from places like Reddit, forums, and customer reviews will be increasingly compelling as AI-powered search results feel increasingly generic, especially if these community-powered sites are able to extract quotes that speak directly to my individual questions, needs, and preferences.

If I was running a marketplace or similar discovery-powered product, I’d be leaning really hard into personalization and community right now. I would want my users to tell their friends, “Google can tell you some stuff, but if you really want to figure out what’s best for you, try this. It’ll help you figure out what you want and show you results that match. And, if you’re not sure, you can see what the community has said, and ask them what they think.” I’d also push really hard on driving app adoption and/or becoming a destination site, to get ahead of SEO traffic declines.

Fun times! I’m excited about it. What do you think?

1  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological needs → Safety and security → Love and belonging → Self-esteem → Self-actualization.

2  If you’re giving someone a PIP or firing them, obviously, start there. I can’t imagine a more excruciating conversation for both parties then 5+ minutes of wind up that ends with “and so we’re putting you on a PIP” or “unfortunately that means we’re terminating your employment, effective immediately.” Do it in the first two sentences. “I have some tough news to share. We are [insert bad news here].”

3  As a manager, this is always a tough (and fair, and warranted) question to receive. Because the true answer is often “Probably” but the official party line answer is “We have no additional changes planned”. I think my preferred answer is “We’re OK as long as we hit our goals but I can’t make guarantees if we don’t.”

4  Which, for better or worse, came from “OK, but what does this mean for me”. Hence today’s post 🙂