Can we fix it? Yes we can! And in 30 minutes or less with Anne Morriss (she/her) and Frances Frei (she/her), hosts of Fixable and authors of Move Fast & Fix Things. Together, the couple talk to callers on their podcast about career issues, who then receive quick, actionable insights to create meaningful change in the workplace—regardless of their position on the company ladder.

Have a few workplace probs of your own? 🙋‍♀️ Then you might wanna listen up.

First, how did Fixable come to be?
ANNE: We’re now living through a profound shift in workplace norms and values. We launched Fixable to throw open the doors on the work we do helping people confront setbacks and lead transformational change within their organizations. We want to give everyone a chance to learn from these situations and get inspired by the possibilities our callers create in a single, brave conversation with us. Most callers go from being in a closed posture of frustration and limitation to an open, creative, resourceful place. That’s a journey all of us need to take sometimes, and to see/hear someone else do it makes it a little bit easier.

Which of your episodes do the corporate girlies need to hear rn?
FRANCES: I think they would particularly like our episode with the wonderful Lola Bakare, as she wrestles with focus and how to make career choices when she could excel at many different things. This is one of our favorite topics to explore—and we offer tangible advice on how to create the conditions for excellence in your own life and the lives of the people around you. Our episode with “Rachel” on dealing with a more senior colleague who is actively undermining you is also a helpful guide to finding informal sources of power at work and to tapping into an inner fierceness to help you confront a problem.

Speaking of confronting problems, it can be quite difficult to stand up for yourself at work. How can we accomplish this?
ANNE: The part of our brain that’s wired for survival does an excellent job of protecting us, but its interpretation of events is not always reliable. It’s prone to overweigh the risks and under weigh the rewards of standing up for ourselves. One simple way to calm down this part of your brain is to figure out your own “authenticity hacks,” the things that remind you of your full humanity and give your nervous system license to stand down. These can be things that may seem silly on the surface. Maybe it’s your beloved niece or passion for Wonder Woman trivia. Whatever it is, try somehow bringing reminders of these things with you into spaces where a smaller, less authentic version of you has a habit of showing up. For example, Frances peppers her Zoom background with pictures of our family, and I like to put a few of our son’s Lego pieces in my pocket during big presentations.

FRANCES: But our most urgent advice is to build a Team (capital T) of friends and colleagues around you who can help you stay connected to the most courageous version of you. Spend time with your Team on a regular basis, and don’t hesitate to call an emergency Team meeting to help you prepare for a high-stakes moment. Standing up for yourself does not have to be a solo sport.

If we stand up for ourselves at work and face repercussions, what should our next step(s) be?
ANNE: Let’s start at the outer edge of the repercussions spectrum: If you suspect retaliation or no longer feel safe after speaking up, then immediately tell someone you trust. Break the silence that’s propping up whoever is putting you at risk. With a trusted thought partner in your corner—and without the stress and pain of feeling radically alone—you’ll be able to figure out the next thing to do, even in organizations without robust HR systems. And, of course, document and timestamp everything. The easiest way to do this may be to send yourself emails that capture your experience in detail, along with any supporting evidence.

FRANCES: On the other end of the spectrum, your advocacy may be dismissed or ignored, which is what happened to “Rachel” and is a pattern we also see, particularly early in someone’s career. At that point your voice is still dismissible. By the way, this is not the same thing as being disagreed with, which is a perfectly acceptable response. Your obligation is to make a persuasive case for your ideas. Your colleagues’ obligation is to engage with them in good faith, not to uncritically agree with you.

If this happens to you, we advise making it clear that you’re not going anywhere, preferably with a smile. Gather more and better data to support your point of view, along with resonant stories that bring your points to life. Show up in the boss’s office with a cup of coffee, just the way she likes it, every morning until you get her to engage. That move, by the way, has never failed us.