I believe strongly in not just ‘not blaming the messenger’, but in trying to reward them.

But what if there’s a level beyond that; “Messenger Euphoria”[1]?

Getting your organization to a state where people prefer to bring problems to the table, instead of status, or even solutions.

In general, large organizations have some sort of status reporting to executives (or senior leadership). Even the most helpful executives will generally say something like:
– “What steps have you taken so far?”
– “What specifically do you want me to do to help you solve your problem?”

This puts a significant onus on the reporter to:
– Be very organized in their presentation and planning
– Think specifically about what an executive can and cannot do (and what they are likely to do or not)
– (Basically, to have solved 90% of the problem before they get there)

While this can be helpful, to help the reporter organize their thoughts and actions (and solve problems once a week, just before status is due), but when a person is overwhelmed, or discouraged, or just doesn’t know what to do next, this can be counterproductive, and just one more barrier, requiring more activation energy for them to overcome, to get the help they need.

How do we set up a system which rewards bringing problems to the table over status or solutions? I’ve had some success with saying ‘I get joy out of answering questions and helping people’, but that’s small scale and perhaps only very personally applicable to me.

I don’t have good general solutions yet. But at least I now have an idea, a taste of what I want.

[1] Image of Calvin, of Calvin & Hobbes, demanding euphoria.

Note: The original inspiration came from hbomberguy’s dk64 stream, where he talked about “Gender Euphoria“, where an absence of Gender Dysphoria is not enough, that one wants to live in a way that is joyful.