Report them to HR

We just finished doing a DCI retreat in Vancouver and someone asked me a question in one of the groups: “What if someone asks me to talk to someone else who is causing a problem in the company? What should I do?”

Geshe Michael had just finished a long lecture on how to stop falling for diamond deals: the two bad choices trick. So, should I talk to them or not?

The idea behind seed management is to get away from this kind of thinking. If you find yourself in a situation whether you have to think, “Should I choose A or B?” then you’ve already failed. Why? Because you don’t know what’s going to happen. If there was a clear choice, you would have made it. So what are you going to do? Guess. Gamble. Take a chance.

Not the best way to run a business.

Instead, figure out what seed you need. Big deal going down? Afraid the other party will back out? Keep your commitments. Think about how seeds work and be careful to rejoice in others’ success. Need to raise capital to grow your business or move on a business opportunity? Give to others, share what you have, and be careful that you’re not now (or going to be trying later) making money in any way that is dishonest or misleading.

Okay, so back to our friend. Should I talk to her or not? You don’t have to talk to her; figure out what the seed is that your planting in your mind that’s causing the problem and clean it out. Does she mislead people or fail to keep promises. Make sure to avoid even white lies yourself and keep your commitments (especially to your family!). Does she steal? Be careful not to take things that aren’t yours (paperclips, paper from work, staplers) and/or borrow things and not return them.

Then you won’t need to talk to her about anything, because your seeds will cause you to see her acting differently.

But… if you want the seed, you might tell her. Why? Because it will change anything? No, because I would want someone to tell me if they saw me causing a problem. I might be causing a problem and not be aware of it; if that was so, I’d want someone to tell me.

So plant the seed for the change you need to see, then go for the extra opportunity to help someone, if you think you can. The only result would be people will help you in the same way too (so be prepared).