Home / The Playbook / Month 6 / Notice What You've Stopped Listening For
Month 6 · Move 04

Notice what you've stopped listening for.

The habits from week one fade by month six. Deliberately go back to asking the questions you asked at the start, you'll be surprised what's changed without you noticing.

By month six, the systems you set up early are running on their own momentum. That's a good sign, and a trap. It's easy to mistake "nothing's on fire" for "I'm still paying attention," and those aren't the same thing.

Re-ask the week one questions
"What's working, what's not", the answers have had six months to change even if you haven't noticed them shifting.
Check whether your 1:1s still have real content
Or whether they've quietly become a status update by default. If it's the latter, that's worth naming out loud and resetting.
Ask what you'd change if you were starting today
And take at least one of those changes seriously instead of filing it away as a someday idea.
More moves in Month 6
Month 6 · Move 01
Deal with the performance issue you've been avoiding →
Month 6 · Move 02
Handle your first real conflict directly →
Month 6 · Move 03
Run your first full review cycle deliberately →
Month 6 · Move 05
Lead with story, not just data →
Month 6 · Move 06
Make recognition a habit, not an event →
Month 6 · Move 07
Have the conversation about where they want to go →
Month 6 · Move 08
Say no to something, on purpose →
Back to
The Hard Middle: Month 6
All moves →