Got this idea after seeing people fight online about Kecia Steelman’s advice. You know how it is – experts say one thing, regular folks argue something totally different. Figured I’d just test both sides myself instead of yelling at strangers.
First, I Dug Into What People Usually Say
Scrolled through LinkedIn and Twitter for hours. Saved every comment slamming Steelman’s methods. The big complaints?
- “Her negotiation tactics are too aggressive” – people said you’d get fired for trying them
- “Nobody actually delegates like she suggests” – claim it makes you look lazy
- “That profit-first mindset burns teams out” – everyone swore it destroys morale
Honestly? Made me nervous to even try her stuff.
Then Came the Steelman Deep Dive
Watched her full keynote from last year. Took messy notes in my chicken-scratch handwriting. Key things that stuck out:
- She actually says “negotiate collaboratively, not combatively” – not the bulldozer approach people described
- The delegation part? Includes training your team first. Nobody mentioned that online!
- Her profit comments were about reinvesting in employees, not cutting corners
Already saw a giant gap between rumors and reality.
Time to Test in My Shitty Office
Picked three meetings this week to try Steelman’s actual advice:
- Prep work sucked – had to research every attendee’s goals beforehand
- Delegation bombed at first – gave junior team work without explaining. They panicked. My fault.
- Tried collaborative negotiation – asked “What would make this win-win?” instead of demanding. Boss looked shocked.
Total mess on Monday. Almost quit the experiment.
Wednesday’s Pivot Changed Everything
Fixed the delegation screw-up. Spent lunch training Marcus on the task. Came back to boss with actual numbers showing how my proposal helped his quarterly target. Suddenly…
- Boss approved budget we’d argued about for months
- Marcus crushed the delegated task after proper training
- Project moved faster without me micromanaging
The kicker? Team looked less stressed when I stopped playing hero.
What Actually Works vs. Internet Noise
People online hate Steelman’s ideas but half haven’t tried ’em. The real method takes work:
- Negotiation magic happens when you focus on the other person’s goals
- Delegation fails if you just dump work. Trained delegation? Game changer.
- “Profit mindset” backfires when you forget the human part
Turns out her advice works when you do it completely – not half-assed like most critics.
Won’t lie though. Keeping this up daily is exhausting. Still forgetting to prep sometimes. But damn, seeing Marcus lead his first meeting today? Worth the migraine.
