This phase teaches you how to support employees in a way that protects capacity and stabilizes the company —
without becoming a therapist, without turning 1:1s into vent sessions, and without accidentally creating dependency.
You learn how to hold calm, surface risk safely, and keep everything tied to business health.
What you’ll be able to do
Run employee 1:1s that protect capacity • detect stress signals early • stabilize conflict before blowups.
Why this matters
Most SMBs ignore “people issues” until they explode. Brava catches them early and converts them into safe, small system fixes.
10) Employee 1:1s (The Right Way)
Stability
Brava employee 1:1s are not therapy and not a venting lane. They exist to protect capacity, detect risk early,
restore role clarity, and reduce friction that silently damages execution.
The golden rule: every conversation ties back to business health.
What these are NOT
Guardrail
If you get this wrong, you become a therapist, an HR complaint box, or a “secret keeper.”
That creates dependency, gossip loops, and fear.
Not therapy: you do not diagnose, process trauma, or treat mental health.
Not venting: you don’t host endless story loops without an action path.
Not an investigation: you are not collecting names, building cases, or playing detective.
Not a promise of secrecy: you protect identity, but you cannot “hide” safety risks.
Boundary script (use this early)
“This isn’t therapy and I’m not here to collect complaints.
My job is to protect your capacity and surface system friction early so work gets easier and safer.
If something is a safety issue, we’ll handle it the right way.”
What these ARE
Purpose
Think of a Brava 1:1 as “stability maintenance.” You check for overload, unclear ownership, conflict friction,
and misalignment — then you install a tiny adjustment to protect output.
Capacity protection: spot overload and prevent burnout before it becomes absence/turnover.
Role clarity: restore “what is mine, what is not mine, and what done looks like.”
Friction removal: convert problems into small system adjustments, not drama.
Rule
If the conversation cannot produce a stability move, a clarity move, or a capacity move — it’s not a Brava 1:1.
The Brava 1:1 structure (5 lanes)
Format
You do not need a long meeting. You need a clean structure that surfaces risk quickly and returns to business health.
This structure prevents venting loops and keeps the 1:1 usable.
Workload: “What feels heavy right now? What’s pushing past capacity?”
Stress signals: “What’s draining you? What’s causing dread or fatigue?”
Role clarity: “What’s unclear? Where are you guessing? Where is ownership messy?”
Personal friction: “Any tension or awkwardness blocking work?” (pattern-focused)
Growth alignment: “Is your role using your strengths? What would make you stronger here?”
Hard stop phrase (prevents vent spirals)
“I hear you. Let’s convert that into:
• the pattern (what keeps happening),
• the business impact,
• and the smallest stability or clarity move we can install.”
What you record (and what you never record)
Safety
Brava records patterns, friction points, and capacity risks — not personal stories. Your notes must never become “evidence.”
This is how you protect trust and avoid becoming HR.
Record patterns: “handoff confusion,” “unclear priorities,” “workload overflow,” “role ambiguity.”
Record signals: “fatigue spikes,” “avoidance,” “dread,” “communication breakdown,” “withdrawal.”
Never record: medical details, trauma history, gossip, or “who said what” narratives.
Protect identity: patterns can be reported up; names generally should not be.
Pattern note template (copy/paste)
Pattern:
Business impact:
What it’s connected to (system):
Small install (stability/clarity/capacity):
Proof of done:
Follow-up cadence:
Mini drill (1:1)
Practice a 7-minute Brava 1:1: pick one lane, convert story → pattern → impact → small install.
Opener:
Lane chosen:
Pattern named:
Small install:
Proof of done:
How you close the loop:
Mastercoach (locked)
Enter code to reveal trainer cues, tests, and what to look for.
Incorrect code. Try again.
Mastercoach cues: Employee 1:1s (Human support without therapy)
The failure mode is predictable: they become a vent container and start collecting stories/names.
Your job is to train “convert to pattern + install a small stability move.”
Pass test: roleplay a vent-heavy employee → candidate must convert story into: pattern + business impact + small install + proof of done.
Watch for: “tell me everything” questions. Force one-lane structure: workload / stress signal / clarity / friction / growth.
Watch for: secrecy promises. Train: “I protect identity; if it’s safety, we handle it properly.”
Scoring: 1–5 on: boundaries, pattern conversion, business tie-back, install size, loop closure.
Correction phrase
“Don’t hold the story. Name the pattern, protect capacity, install the smallest fix.”
11) Conflict, Tension & Silent Problems
Risk
Conflict rarely looks like conflict until it’s too late. In SMBs it shows up as silence, avoidance, passive resistance,
“small errors,” and emotional exhaustion. Your job is to surface issues safely, stabilize quietly, and escalate only when needed —
so blowups become rare.
How conflict hides (common signals)
Signals
Brava does not wait for “drama.” You watch for silent indicators that execution is degrading.
If you catch them early, you can stabilize with small adjustments.
Avoidance: “I’ll just do it myself” • people stop asking questions.
Withholding: missed handoffs • information bottled • “forgot to tell you.”
Work quality drift: “small mistakes” increase • rework rises.
Emotional heat: sarcasm • eye-rolls • “jokes” that sting.
The best way to surface conflict is to name the pattern and give permission to speak
without fear of punishment. You are creating a safe lane for truth — not a courtroom.
Name the pattern neutrally: “I’m seeing handoffs breaking down.”
Ask for impact, not blame: “What does this cost us in time/rework/stress?”
Offer small choices: “Do we fix this with a handoff rule, a clarity doc, or a weekly 10-min sync?”
Protect identity: “We’re solving the system, not exposing a person.”
Safe surfacing script
“I’m noticing a pattern that’s creating rework and tension.
This isn’t about blame — it’s about making the system easier.
What’s the smallest change that would reduce this immediately?”
Stabilize quietly (most issues)
Default
Most conflict is system conflict, not personality conflict. Stabilize by reducing friction and ambiguity.
You do this quietly, without making it “a thing.”
Clarify ownership: “who owns this step, and what done looks like.”
Install a “reset sentence”: one phrase the team uses to de-escalate (“Let’s align on done.”).
Give a micro-cadence: a 10-minute weekly sync removes months of resentment.
Quiet stabilization checklist
Is ownership unclear?
Is workload unfair/uneven?
Is the handoff ambiguous?
Is feedback missing or harsh?
Is there no place to surface friction safely?
When to escalate (rare but real)
Trigger
Escalation is not punishment — it’s safety. Brava escalates when the issue is beyond “system tuning”
and crosses into boundary violations or operational danger.
“This has moved beyond a workflow issue.
It is creating safety/retention risk and needs a leadership decision.
I recommend: (1) boundary reset, (2) documented expectations, (3) a 14-day follow-up check.”
Mini drill (conflict stabilization)
Pick a “silent conflict” scenario and run the Brava sequence: signal → pattern → impact → stabilize → decide if escalation is needed.
Signal you noticed:
Pattern name:
Business impact:
Small stabilization install:
Proof of done:
Escalate? (yes/no) and why:
Mastercoach (locked)
Enter code to reveal trainer cues, tests, and what to look for.
Candidates often either (a) avoid conflict completely, or (b) escalate too early and create fear.
Train them to stabilize through system clarity first, then escalate only on defined triggers.
Pass test: give a “silent conflict” case → they must name signals, propose a small stabilization install, define proof of done, and choose escalate yes/no with reason.
Watch for: blame language (“they’re toxic”). Require system language + operational impact.
Watch for: escalation as “punishment.” Train escalation as “safety + boundary enforcement.”
Scoring: 1–5 on: early signal detection, neutral surfacing, stabilization quality, escalation discipline, owner-ready language.
Correction phrase
“Stabilize first with clarity. Escalate only on triggers. Protect safety without creating fear.”
Phase 5 — What to Memorize + Pass Conditions
Gate
Phase 5 is installed when you can run human support without turning into therapy, venting, or HR —
while consistently converting employee signals into stability, clarity, and capacity protection tied to business health.
Memorize: the identity
Must
“I am not a therapist or HR. I protect capacity and stabilize systems.”
Memorize: the conversion
Must
“Story → Pattern → Business impact → Small install → Proof of done.”
Phase 5 pass conditions (simple + strict)
You pass Phase 5 when you can: (1) run a 7-minute employee 1:1 that stays out of therapy/venting,
(2) convert a story into pattern + impact + small stabilization install + proof of done,
(3) demonstrate what you record (patterns only) and what you never record,
and (4) handle a “silent conflict” scenario using stabilize-first logic and correct escalation triggers.
Mastercoach (locked)
Enter code to reveal trainer scoring + remediation plan.
Incorrect code. Try again.
Mastercoach cues: Phase 5 scoring
Score based on boundaries + conversion ability. If they cannot turn “emotion” into “pattern + install,” they will become therapy.
If they escalate conflict too early, they will create fear. This phase builds safe human support at scale.
Score 1–5: boundaries (no therapy/venting, no gossip, no “case building”).
