Take It Off the Page
- Cristina Stensvaag
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
One conversation. One person. This week.
April 28, 2026
Originally published in One More Rep, a weekly newsletter for people managers who want to get better through practice. Subscribe here — it's free.
You built the trust map last week. This week, use it instead of waiting for the perfect time.
Read
The Moment
You have a trust map now that includes names, honest answers about where you're consistent, where you're not, and what needs attention. That's a lot of self-awareness to bring into a new month.
But a map you don't act on is just a list.
The Pattern
Last week was our integration week. Is it tempting to feel the clarity and then wait until the perfect time to act on it? Maybe you tell yourself May is the right time to begin - fresh month, fresh start. Or, that you'll address it when things settle down, you have too many things on your plate right now. Or, that you'll start when the moment feels right right.
That moment never announces itself...you have to create it.
Why This Matters
April gave you three months of relationship data compressed into four weeks. You know something now that you didn't know at the start of the month: specifically, which relationship on your team has the most important gap and what's been missing from it.
Acting on that before the month turns isn't rushing. It is putting insight into practice right away. One conversation this week makes May's work land differently.
Rep
This Week's Practice
Pick one person from your trust map. The one with the most important gap. It probably isn't the the easiest conversation, but it is the most important one. Have one intentional conversation with them before May starts.
A direct, specific moment where you show up differently than you have in the past.
Your Rep
One conversation with one person from your trust map.
What to Notice
Success looks like:
You chose the person based on importance of the gap, not comfort
The conversation is specific: you're addressing something real, not having a general check-in
You walk away knowing something about that relationship you didn't know before
Resistance looks like:
Picking the easiest person on the map instead of the most important one
Waiting for the perfect opening and running out of time in the week
Treating a scheduled one-on-one as the rep without bringing anything intentional
It's working when:
The conversation shifts something, even slightly, in how that person relates to you
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Over-preparing. You don't need a script. You need one honest thing to say or ask. The more you rehearse, the less it sounds like you.
Mistake #2: Confusing activity with intent. Having a conversation isn't the rep. Having an intentional conversation is. Know what you're bringing to it before you walk in.
Reflect
What did you learn about that relationship that the trust map couldn't tell you?
What would it look like to bring this level of intentionality into every month, not just integration weeks?
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Cristina Stensvaag is co-founder of LeaderReps and creator of One More Rep, a weekly practice-based leadership newsletter for people managers.