9. You have to convince her.

“Actually I was just about to take my lunch, I’m between clients and my afternoon is packed.”

“This won’t take long, but it is important.”

“Oh, ok, of course.”

Natalie walks just behind you to your office. You wave her in and close the door behind you.

“Now, I wanted to talk to you about your work, but I think your professionalism might also bear talking about.”

“I’m so sorry, but I promise I’ve been working really hard all morning.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve caught you chatting like that in the middle of the day. Quick conversations, sure whatever, but you seem consistently distracted by your coworkers. Now that I think about it, it might be worth relocating your cubicle closer to this office. Put a buffer of empty ones between you and the rest of the department. Your work might improve.”

“But, Mr. Haggard I thought my work was satisfactory? That’s what you said at my review.” Natalie looked genuinely concerned. You might have said that to her, but you did so many annual reviews they all blended together.

“And that’s the thing, it’s just satisfactory. Look, I think you could have a future here. But you need to stand out a little more.”

“How do you mean?”

“Taking on extra projects, improving your closing rates, just a handful of things.”

“Ok, I think I can work on those.”

“I think a little mentorship would also go a long way. That’s why I want to take you under my wing. Have a few one-on-ones a week. Talk about your work more closely, that kind of thing.”