The Story
A department director had to fill a senior role. Two internal candidates: Sarah, a ten-year veteran who’d been passed over twice, and Marcus, a rising star who’d been there three years but had exceptional results.
The director chose Marcus. On merit, it was defensible—his numbers were better, his trajectory steeper. The director announced it in a team meeting, praised both candidates, and moved on.
Within a month, three of Sarah’s peers had requested transfers. The unofficial read: “Loyalty doesn’t matter here. They’ll always pick the shiny new thing.” Meanwhile, Marcus’s peers started distancing themselves—“He’s management’s favorite, not one of us.” HR flagged a spike in attrition risk.
The director had made a reasonable decision. But he’d told the wrong story to every audience.
The Lesson
Witness Framing asks: How will each observer interpret this action?
The same decision is never just one story. It’s a different story to everyone watching. The director saw a merit-based promotion. Sarah’s peers saw proof that tenure was worthless. Marcus’s peers saw favoritism. Each witness constructed their own narrative from the same facts.
The director’s mistake wasn’t the decision—it was failing to anticipate and shape how different audiences would read it. He could have:
- Met with Sarah first, acknowledged her contributions, discussed her path forward
- Framed the announcement around specific achievements, not general praise
- Given Sarah a visible role in Marcus’s transition, signaling that she was valued
- Talked to Marcus’s peers separately about what the promotion did and didn’t mean
Witnesses don’t see your intentions. They see your actions and fill in the rest.
Applying It
Before any significant decision, ask:
Who’s watching? List every audience who will observe or hear about this action—not just the direct participants.
What story will each witness tell themselves? Put yourself in each audience’s position. What narrative makes sense to them given what they see?
Can I shape the story before they write it? Framing isn’t spin. It’s providing context that helps people interpret correctly.
The director could have turned the same promotion into three different positive stories: recognition of excellence (Marcus), commitment to internal growth (Sarah’s visible future), and proof that performance matters (the broader team). Instead, he let each audience write their own story—and they all wrote tragedies.
Witness Framing isn’t about manipulation. It’s about understanding that your actions are interpreted, not just observed.