The idea of translation described here resonates a lot. Understanding the gaps + identity threats is what’s going to make managing conflicts easier for me. Thank you!
The metaphor of translation is a powerful way to describe these gaps.
One thing that often becomes visible in organisations is how early “survival translations” quietly solidify into professional identities. Someone who once learned to be the loudest signal in the room may later be labelled as assertive or difficult. Someone who learned to disappear may become the reliable, low-maintenance colleague who rarely challenges the system.
What originally helped a person navigate power gaps can later be misread as personality.
Which makes misunderstandings even more persistent: people believe they are reacting to character, while they are often reacting to adaptations that were written much earlier, in a completely different context.
Thank you for this! Yes I completely agree. I’m in the process of writing a piece on how these translations apply to the team member -> manager transition, too. It’s such a fascinating topic, and with so many traps to avoid…
That transition seems to amplify translation gaps quite quickly — what used to “work” as a signal at peer level often lands very differently once authority shifts.
A lot of the traps, I imagine, come from assuming the same dictionary still applies.
I kept thinking about how much energy goes into reading tone and subtext when the stakes depend on someone else’s interpretation. Thank you both for this collaboration.
The idea of translation described here resonates a lot. Understanding the gaps + identity threats is what’s going to make managing conflicts easier for me. Thank you!
That’s really good to hear, thanks for the feedback!
The metaphor of translation is a powerful way to describe these gaps.
One thing that often becomes visible in organisations is how early “survival translations” quietly solidify into professional identities. Someone who once learned to be the loudest signal in the room may later be labelled as assertive or difficult. Someone who learned to disappear may become the reliable, low-maintenance colleague who rarely challenges the system.
What originally helped a person navigate power gaps can later be misread as personality.
Which makes misunderstandings even more persistent: people believe they are reacting to character, while they are often reacting to adaptations that were written much earlier, in a completely different context.
Thank you for this! Yes I completely agree. I’m in the process of writing a piece on how these translations apply to the team member -> manager transition, too. It’s such a fascinating topic, and with so many traps to avoid…
That sounds like a really rich angle to explore.
That transition seems to amplify translation gaps quite quickly — what used to “work” as a signal at peer level often lands very differently once authority shifts.
A lot of the traps, I imagine, come from assuming the same dictionary still applies.
An eye-opening take with helpful tips...thanks so much!
Thank you, it’s such a pleasure to hear this resonated!
I kept thinking about how much energy goes into reading tone and subtext when the stakes depend on someone else’s interpretation. Thank you both for this collaboration.
Great to hear it resonated! I really hate ‘reading between the lines’ but I haven’t yet found a way to escape it 😩