Calibrated Leadership · Forensic lab edition
The Workplace Field Guide
Navigating pressure, people and teamwork
Short, practical sheets for managers and staff. Each one looks at a part of working together that gets hard under pressure. It explains why, and gives you one thing to try.
Why it matters
Everyone arrives with a history of past bosses, past mistakes and things that went well or badly. That includes the manager.
People defend, go quiet, recheck, take control or say yes to everything. Then two people's habits bump into each other, and the work suffers.
Advice about behaviour helps for a while. When the pressure comes back, so does the habit. These sheets start with what the habit protects.
What this is
A field guide, one sheet at a time
Each sheet is two pages. It covers one moment at work: a hard conversation, a review that went sideways, a decision made without you. It shows what tends to happen, why, and how to see your own part in it.
Managers get a second view of each topic. It shows how their own habits land on the team, and how to help someone else adjust.
- 1ThreatSomething feels like a verdict on you
- 2DriftYou read the situation a little wrong
- 3PatternYou push against it or pull back from it
- 4FrictionYour habit bumps into someone else's
- 5AdjustYou notice it, and try one small change
Who it's for
Written for people in forensic labs
The examples come from casework, technical review, court dates and backlogs. The ideas work anywhere pressure meets people.
Staff
Notice what you do when the pressure is on, and try one small change. Your answers stay with you.
Managers
See how your own pattern shapes your team. Get help with the process side too: reviews, planning, conflict and slipping work.
Trainers and coaches
Run it with a group. The facilitator sheets cover pacing, safety and what to do when something heavy comes up.
What's inside
102 sheets in four parts
Open a series to see its sheets.
How you react under pressure, and why. Everything else builds on this.
FoundationsF1 to F7 · 7 sheets
- F1 How the Model Works
- F2 The Eight Drift Patterns
- F3 The Four Working Styles
- F4 Pattern or Style?
- F5 Find Your Pattern
- F6 How Strong Is It?
- F7 From Trust to Results
Staff sheetsS0 to S8 · 9 sheets
- S0 Recalibrate
- S1 The Defender Pattern
- S2 The Reassurance-Seeker Pattern
- S3 The Credit-Keeper Pattern
- S4 The Pleaser Pattern
- S5 The Expert Pattern
- S6 The Checker Pattern
- S7 The Controller Pattern
- S8 The Bystander Pattern
Working style overlaysW1 to W4 · 4 sheets
- W1 The Pacesetter Under Pressure
- W2 The Rallier Under Pressure
- W3 The Anchor Under Pressure
- W4 The Architect Under Pressure
Up and acrossE1 to E4 · 4 sheets
- E1 Working for a Manager Under Pressure
- E2 Raising a Concern UpwardDraft
- E3 Two Colleagues in a Loop
- E4 Your Own Performance Review
Your pattern as a manager, where two patterns meet, common hard moments, the pressure points of forensic work, and the whole team.
Manager sheetsM0 to M8 · 9 sheets
- M0 Helping Staff Adjust
- M1 Leading in the Defender Pattern
- M2 Leading in the Reassurance-Seeker Pattern
- M3 Leading in the Credit-Keeper Pattern
- M4 Leading in the Pleaser Pattern
- M5 Leading in the Expert Pattern
- M6 Leading in the Checker Pattern
- M7 Leading in the Controller Pattern
- M8 Leading in the Bystander Pattern
PairingsP0 to P10 · 11 sheets
- P0 The Compatibility Map
- P1 Hard Feedback Never Lands
- P2 The Recheck Spiral
- P3 The Silent Floor
- P4 The Loudest Voice Sets Direction
- P5 Every Review Becomes a Contest
- P6 Nothing Leaves the Building
- P7 Who Owns the Work
- P8 An Informal Boss Takes Over
- P9 Nobody Steers and Nobody Says So
- P10 Agreement Without Buy-In
SituationsK1 to K10 · 10 sheets
- K1 Giving Hard Feedback
- K2 Receiving Feedback
- K3 Delegating
- K4 Saying No
- K5 Running a Meeting with a Purpose
- K6 Making a Decision Stick
- K7 Leading Through Change
- K8 Leading at Scale
- K9 Consultation That Feels Real
- K10 Finishing What You Start
Lab momentsL1 to L6 · 6 sheets
- L1 Technical Review, from Both Sides
- L2 Court and Cross-ExaminationDraft
- L3 When a Client Pushes
- L4 Training Someone Toward Authorization
- L5 Reporting Your Own ErrorDraft
- L6 After a Distressing Case
Team and cultureT1 to T4 · 4 sheets
- T1 When the Manager Is Out of Calibration
- T2 Team Climate Check
- T3 The Skip-Level Conversation
- T4 Repair After a Rupture
Running the work: new managers, planning and capacity, reviews and conflict, sharing the work fairly, and hiring.
New managersN1 to N3 · 3 sheets
- N1 Your First 90 Days
- N2 Managing Former Peers
- N3 Impostor Feelings in New Managers
Results and planningR1 to R6 · 6 sheets
- R1 Operational Planning
- R2 Choosing Lab KPIs
- R3 Budget Basics for Lab Managers
- R4 Running a Lab Project
- R5 Improving How the Work Flows
- R6 Capacity Planning
Accountability and performanceA1 to A8 · 8 sheets
- A1 Team Feedback
- A2 Performance Reviews That Help
- A3 When Performance Slips
- A4 Conflict Between ColleaguesDraft
- A5 Working with the UnionDraft
- A6 Accommodation and Return to WorkDraft
- A7 When Someone Reports Their Own ErrorDraft
- A8 Running One-to-Ones
Dividing the workD1 to D4 · 4 sheets
- D1 Who Decides What
- D2 Roles and Responsibilities
- D3 Playing to Strengths
- D4 Fair Expectations in the Same Role
Hiring, growing and handing overH1 to H7 · 7 sheets
- H1 Hiring Under Pressure
- H2 What to Look ForDraft
- H3 Running a Fair PanelDraft
- H4 Reference ChecksDraft
- H5 Starting a New Hire Well
- H6 Growing Someone for the Next Role
- H7 Handing Over Before Someone Leaves
For coaches, facilitators and anyone trying the guide with a team first.
Coaches and facilitators4 sheets
- C1 Running the Self-Check
- C2 The Coaching Rhythm
- C3 Facilitating a Team Session
- C6 Setting Realistic Expectations
Pilot pack6 sheets
- C4 Piloting the Guide
- C5 Pilot Feedback Form
- MP1 Piloting the Management Sheets
- MP2 Feedback on the Management Sheets
- MP3 Running the Sessions on Teams
- MP4 Session Plans
Free for everyone
Start with the starter pack
Eight pages, about 20 minutes. It's the best way to see if the guide fits you.
- Why the guide exists, with a lab example
- The model on one page
- A 16-question questionnaire to find your pattern
- Four questions on how strongly it holds
- A first step for each pattern
Use it with care
These are tools for reflection and conversation. They are not tested psychological measures.
- Your results are yours. Nobody should ask to see them.
- Keep them out of ratings, files, discipline, hiring, promotion, probation, casework authorization, assignments and references.
- If something weighs on you, your Employee Assistance Program or a counsellor can help.
Early access
Request access to the full guide
The full guide is open by invitation while it's in early access. Readers rate each sheet, and the guide is updated every week from what they say. See what's changed so far.
Every request is read by a person. You'll get an email when your access is set up, usually within a few working days.
Who wrote it