The Delta File (Hall of Fame Guidance)

Summary

Career Tools – “The Delta File” (July 9, 2026)

Overview

In this episode, Mark and Sarah dive into the concept of the “Delta File” — a powerful, practical tool for capturing the managerial, organizational, and personal behaviors you wish to change when you have more influence or become a manager yourself. The episode is designed to help listeners take a proactive, reflective approach to their career development, ensuring they avoid repeating the negative workplace experiences they’ve endured. The discussion addresses what a Delta file is, what belongs in it, and how to maintain one for maximum benefit.

---

What is a Delta File?

(Main Segment Starts: 01:09)

• Definition:
  The Delta File is a private journal where you document organizational and managerial practices you find objectionable—things you want to change when you have the authority.

  • “The Delta file is a private record of managerial, organizational, and personal practices, even, that we intend to change immediately or at some time in the future, when our role or influence changes.” — Sarah (03:54)

• Root of the Name:
  It’s called a Delta File because “delta” is the mathematical symbol for change. You’re tracking what you want to do differently.

• Why It Matters:
  People tend to perpetuate the behaviors they disliked in their bosses when they become managers themselves, not out of malice but because of role-based pressures and forgotten perspectives.

  • “Managers are generally behaving in the same ineffectual and often, at least it'll appear to you as a direct, disrespectful and uncommunicative and sometimes domineering ways that they're used to.” — Mark (02:49)

• A Private Outlet:
  The Delta File isn’t for public venting or gossiping—it’s a private tool for processing and future learning.

  • “We can see this as kind of talking to... the Delta file rather than talking to somebody else about the things that bother us… It puts them somewhere and gets them out of your head.” — Sarah (07:45)

---

What Goes in the Delta File?

(Segment Starts: 08:49)

• Content:
  Record anything down that you’d want to approach differently as a manager or team member.

• Focus:

  • Events and behaviors of others, captured from your perspective.
  • Not just issues with your boss—can include peers and direct reports.

• Examples (10:00–13:26):

  • Delayed communication:
    “Your boss is in a meeting about Project X, which will require a lot of work from your team. He's out by noon, but says nothing to anybody until 6pm and then calls a short notice meeting. And that's something you vow never to do.” — Sarah (09:13)
  • Failure to give credit:
    “Your boss doesn't say in this situation… this deck came from one of my team, not me. And then your boss's boss tells your boss she did great work.” — Mark (10:00)
  • Thrown under the bus:
    “Your peer tells your boss about a conversation… but your boss doesn't mention his frustrations, only your frustrations.” — Sarah (10:42)
  • Unmet promises:
    “Your boss promises a response… by the end of the week. …Friday passes with no information and no comment.” — Mark (11:08)
  • Punished for candor:
    “Your boss asks for candid feedback, you give it… and then the next day, you get chewed out for being so presumptuous as to question her leadership.” — Sarah (11:40)
    • Mark adds personal experience:
      “I mentioned a lot of things that were good… they asked me to give it to you. Yeah, literally. I never forgot that. … And when they later fired me, I was like, that helped me get over the fact that, okay, these are the kind of people that I don’t have to respect at all.” — Mark (11:56)
  • Public reprimand:
    “Your boss reprimands you publicly, personally, and at length.” — Sarah (13:17)

• Philosophy:

  • Record not out of judgment or scorn, but out of the desire to avoid repeating negative behaviors.
  • “The people who did these things, they're a lot like us and they have similar motivations. And we may very well believe that when we're in their shoes, the path is… reasonable, even if not perfect.” — Sarah (14:28)

---

Why Keep a Delta File?

(Theme Woven Throughout; Key Insight at 07:18, 13:48, 14:28, 19:20)

• Perspective:
  The Delta File keeps you connected to your prior role’s frustrations and helps you remember how certain behaviors feel to those below you once you're in a position of authority.

• Growth Tool:
  It helps you become a more thoughtful, empathetic manager, and can prompt small but meaningful adjustments in behavior and communication.

• Private Outlet:
  Instead of gossip and venting, the Delta File is a constructive and safe space for your reactions.

---

How Should You Keep a Delta File?

(Segment Starts: 15:51)

• Formats:
  • Electronic:
    • Easiest, but least secure.
    • Cautions:
      • Must be password-protected.
      • You may lose access if you’re laid off and it’s on a company device.
    • “The password protecting one, I think, is the more important one, honestly.” — Sarah (17:40)
    • Consider forwarding an updated file to a personal address every couple of weeks (18:13).
  • Handwritten:
    • Most portable and private.
    • Quick & Dirty: Mark each relevant entry with a delta/triangle symbol throughout your notebook.
    • Recommended: Use a dedicated section (e.g., back of notebook) or a folder for easy organization.
    • “The key is they're all in one place and either works. But we do recommend having them in one place. And because they're handwritten, they're portable. And if you get fired or laid off, you don't lose track of them, you don't lose access to them, frankly.” — Mark (17:24)

---

Notable Quotes and Insights

• “If you don't understand why someone else is doing something, it's your fault, because it makes sense to them. People are not intentionally destructive.” — Mark (04:43)
• “Assume positive intent … that's why one of our hall of fame podcasts is the assume positive intent.” — Mark (05:14)
• “He who doesn’t understand history is doomed to repeat it will. He who doesn’t keep track of the things that bother you are doomed to repeat it." — Mark (19:04)
• “You might still choose to do that thing, but having that note, having that reminder might change the way you couch it with your team or you talk about it, or it might just change your timing around it.” — Sarah (19:20)
• “The learn it all always beats the know it all.” — Mark, referencing Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft (18:24)

---

Actionable Takeaways

• Start a Delta File: Privately record the behaviors and decisions (from anyone, especially managers) that seem illogical or frustrating, with the intention to reflect and do better in the future.
• Use It Privately: Never use the Delta File as a way to gossip or complain publicly.
• Choose a Secure Format: Handwritten is more secure and portable—electronic must be carefully protected.
• Regularly Reflect: Review your Delta File periodically to remind yourself of lessons learned from past frustrations, especially as you get promoted.
• Apply with Empathy: When you reach positions of authority, refer to your Delta File to temper your actions and communicate more effectively, knowing the pressures you’ll face.

---

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Mark’s personal story about being punished for giving candid feedback at work (11:56) gives the episode a real, relatable dimension.
• Both hosts frequently poke fun at themselves and past managerial missteps (“Whining… complaining, griping, gossiping, if you will.” — Sarah, 07:46).
• The candid admission: “Honestly, all of those examples that we read out loud, I'm like, yeah, I could see how that's logical… having been in those shoes…” — Sarah (19:20)

---

Key Timestamps

• 01:09 — Introduction to the Delta File concept
• 03:54 — Formal definition of a Delta File
• 08:49 — What to record in the Delta File (example scenarios)
• 15:51 — How to keep a Delta File (methods, safeguards)
• 18:24 — Why learning and remembering matter (“Learn it all beats the know it all”)
• 19:20 — Applying the Delta File in real managerial life

---

Final Thought

The Delta File is a discreet, impactful tool for anyone striving to be a better leader. By documenting what frustrates you and why, you arm yourself with the insight and empathy needed to avoid repeating the very mistakes you once suffered under. As Mark says, “The Delta file is one of those career tools that once we start it and we see it work, we never go back to an empty toolbox.” (18:24)

---

(As always, for more tools and reflections on effective career growth, visit manager-tools.com.)

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Career Tools.

[B]

This is Sarah and I'm Mark.

[A]

Today's podcast, The Delta File, Part 1 of 1.

[B]

As always, our content has been crafted by humans and is now certified by Proudly Human. The questions this cast answers are, what is a Delta file? What kind of things should I record in a Delta file? And where do I keep my Delta file? That's an important one, folks.

[A]

If you want answers to these questions and more, keep listening.

[C]

Some of the most valuable professional relationships you'll ever build happen over a meal, not in a meeting room. The mConference includes a welcome reception, hosted meals, and multiple structured networking events. Because real executive development isn't just what you learn, it's who you're in the room with and what you build together. Two days high caliber peers, annual event you don't want to miss. Learn more at manager-tools.com forward/mconference.

[A]

Today we're talking about the Delta File. This is one of those, I'm going to call it classic podcasts from early on in our Career Tools journey and interestingly enough, a podcast that in my my tour around the website, discovering content that I wanted to to bring to light was not in the hall of fame to begin with. So I'm gonna remedy that with this podcast. I know, I know. Me too.

[B]

Everybody's gotta have one.

[A]

Exactly, folks. One of the things that we've noticed over the years is how differently individuals see themselves depending on the role they're in. It's really quite amazing, honestly, the significance we all give to context. That is what seems completely normal to one person in one role looks frankly crazy to somebody else in a different role.

[B]

I would agree.

[A]

And sadly, when many of us become managers, what that all means combined together is we are very likely to do the exact same thing our managers did to us. And we didn't like some of that stuff all that much.

[B]

Yeah. Now, a lot of us would say, oh, no, no, no, no, I wouldn't visit the sins of my boss on my team someday when I become a manager. And we're glad you feel that way. That's a good thought to have. Right? The sins of your boss. Right. But frankly, I gotta tell you, folks, there's not a lot of evidence of that. And some of that has to do with the incentives and the responsibilities that managers have that their directs don't ever get exposed to. Because we're not good at explaining our role to those beneath us. Managers are generally behaving in the same ineffectual and often, at least it'll appear to you as a direct, disrespectful and uncommunicative and sometimes domineering ways that they're used to. It's been this way for decades and decades, and if it were a lot different, we'd be talking about that. But this is what we see in the world of management today.

[A]

Absolutely. So knowing that it's like that, folks, today we're here to talk about what we can actually do about that. And really what we can do is vow to change the things that. That are occurring today when we are the ones with managerial power. And that's where the Delta file comes in, which is essentially a private journal where you record those organizational practices that you find objectionable so that eventually, when you become a manager yourself, you can avoid those same mistakes.

[B]

Yeah, so that starts with keeping track of what you change with a Delta file. So our outline is really simple. What is a Delta file, what goes in the Delta file, and how do I keep it?

[A]

Let's start with what is a Delta file? And, folks, the Delta file is a private record of managerial, organizational, and personal practices, even that we intend to change immediately or at some time in the future when our role or influence changes. We've all seen things we find objectionable. Usually it's our boss, sometimes it's our peers, sometimes it's even our directs, if we're a manager. And the way it usually plays out for us, honestly, is someone does something and we think that makes no sense, or we think, what can they possibly be thinking that would make them do it that way?

[B]

Exactly. And again, you don't understand your boss's role. It probably makes complete sense to him or her.

[A]

It absolutely does. People don't walk around doing nonsensical things.

[B]

They don't. They really don't. In fact, I say all the time, if you don't understand why someone else is doing something, it's your fault, because it makes sense to them. People are not intentionally destructive. So whatever they were thinking, it wasn't how to mess things up. What we've learned after years of watching managers, nobody intends to mess things up. Sure, things go wrong. You know they do. But nobody ever causes things to go wrong on purpose. What that means is that when things do go wrong, when things aren't the way you expect them to be, the perpetrator intended to do the right thing, whoever the perpetrator is, or at least as they sought. So when we find it unacceptable, it's wrong for us to assume negative intent. And in fact, that's why one of our hall of fame podcasts is the assume positive tint. In fact, I think at our first all hands meeting of manager tools, like five years ago, we asked everybody to write up on the, on the windows there in the beach house here in pebble beach where we hosted it. What is your favorite podcast? And assume positive intent was two or three people.

[A]

It's definitely mine.

[B]

Comments?

[A]

Yeah. So folks, to Mark's point, it's wrong for us to assume negative intent, but when we think about it, when, when we're out there, when we're enacting in the world, we forget that these other, what are, let's just say it clearly, folks, ethical, reasonable people. What these ethical, reasonable people are doing is completely logical, completely rational. And they're actually those people a lot more like us than we realize. So it's really a bit like us making that mistake.

[B]

The mistake being interpreting it the wrong way.

[A]

Yes, exactly. Yeah. And if people like us would do it, then what must cause them to do it and believe that what they're doing is reasonable?

[B]

Yeah. And that's the reason for a Delta file. In other words, when we get to their level or in their role or their position or their responsibility or authority, we're probably going to have a similar set of incentives to them. We're going to have similar pressures to them, and we are quite likely to naturally, with having forgotten what it was like to receive that we're going to make the same mistakes it comes across to a direct perhaps as a mistake that they did. We're going to need something to remind us of how our actions might be perceived by others.

[A]

And folks, one of the things that I'm not even sure that a Delta file is really for, but it is an important aspect of the Delta file, beyond just capturing these difficult moments and learning from a different perspective later, is that we can see this as kind of talking to, if you will, the Delta file rather than talking to somebody else about the things that bother us particularly.

[B]

Whining.

[A]

Yeah, whining, exactly. Whining, complaining, griping, gossiping, if you will.

[B]

Yeah, Gossip, Yeah, good one.

[A]

Exactly. Particularly since many of the incidents or items in the Delta file are about our boss. Specifically, we ought not be talking about those items with other people, with our colleagues, with our co workers. So what that means then is the Delta file can be a positive outlet, if you will, for those frustrations. It puts them somewhere and gets them out of your head. And now that they're on paper. Yeah, you've said your piece and don't need to say it. To your friends.

[B]

Yeah. So a delta file is where you keep track of those things that happen to you that you say I want to change and change the symbol. Delta is for change. Right. So the delta file is stuff I'm going to change when I'm in that role. And the most likely source of those is your boss. Okay. Nothing against bosses. We also do manager tools here. So there's that. Right.

[A]

It could be anybody.

[B]

Yeah. So now what goes into a delta file? We keep anything on our delta file that we might want to change either now or in the future. But here's what's perhaps most helpful about what we put in it. We capture events or behaviors of others for, from our perspective.

[A]

So we've got a list here of some examples, folks. Mark and I are going to take turns reading some examples of, of something we might capture in our delta file. So the first one you know, your boss is in a meeting about Project X, which will require a lot of work from your team. He's out by noon, but says nothing to anybody until 6pm and then calls a short notice meeting. And that's something you vow never to do.

[B]

Yeah, I remember my brother Walt one time sent me a note and said these are examples of things managers do. And one of them was wait until the last minute to give a bunch of deliverables to your team. So in that case, what you would do is write that down and hopefully you then remember when you, when you, when you come out of a meeting at noon, don't wait until six o'.

[C]

Clock.

[B]

Right. Give somebody a warning order saying, hey, we had a meeting about X. I've got some deliverables coming out. It'll take me a little while to put them together. But be be warned, we've got some new stuff we've got to do. Right? Something like that. Here's another one your boss doesn't say in this situation, not the meeting situation, totally new situation here. Your boss doesn't say to you, actually this deck came from one of my team, not me. And then your boss's boss tells your boss she did great work. In other words, your boss is getting credit for. They may not really actually mean it, but, but they never said, hey, just for the record, boss, this came from my team. Right. That feels. That's kind of a pinch.

[A]

It's a pinch. Absolutely, absolutely. Another one might be your peer tells your boss about a conversation you had about both of you not being communicated to enough. But your boss doesn't mention his frustrations, only your frustrations.

[B]

Oh, that's just a burn, right?

[A]

That's basically throwing you under the bus, Horse.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Horsemen didn't, by the way. You should know. Horseman.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Like, wait a minute. Why didn't you tell them? We both complained. It wasn't good. Don't throw me under the bus if you were there, too. Or your boss promises a response from the project sponsor about staffing by the end of the week. No matter what, guys, drop dead. Date is Friday. No question. I'll get it to you. Everyone hears this in a staff meeting, and Friday passes with no information and no comment about the lack of info from your boss. Another thing we wouldn't recommend you do to your team.

[A]

No. Your boss asks for candid feedback, you give it, believing her when she says, trust me. And then the next day, you get chewed out for being so presumptuous as to question her leadership and decisions.

[B]

This actually happened to me, and I contributed this one. It was my first job after Procter and Gamble. My boss says, hey, you know, you've got a lot of experience, so why don't you give us some sense of what you were doing? Now, I knew what you think about how we're leading this organization, and I reported directly to the owner, general manager, managing partner, CEO, whatever you want to call him or her. So I said, okay. So I mentioned a lot of things that were good that I thought were helpful, and then I no, no, no. We really want to hear negatives. So I said, well, here are a couple of things that are problematic for me, particularly if you're going to hire another guy like me, which we were planning on doing. And the next day, I just got reamed. I can't believe you would say that. I'm thinking this is like an ethical trap. You asked me to give it to you. Yeah, literally. I never forgot that. And when they later fired me, I was like, that helped me get over the fact that, okay, these are the kind of people that I don't have to respect at all. They ask you to do something, you do it, and they punish you for it. Or your boss asks for budget input and then ignores it after going off site for two days and creating something completely on his own. You did a bunch of work, and it's not in your boss's work and you don't hear a word about it.

[A]

Yep, absolutely. And then one more we have for you, folks. Your boss reprimands you publicly, personally, and at length.

[B]

Yeah. In fact, that scenario caused us. I actually wrote a podcast about that for For Manager Tools about What to do when you get publicly chewed out in front of everyone else. Podcast called I've forgotten. I've totally forgotten, folks.

[A]

We'll link to it in the bottom of the podcast. I don't know the name of it, but I will find it and make sure we link to it.

[B]

Yeah, look, all of these scenarios would go into your delta file. Okay? We assume if it happened to you and you could add those to yours, actually you could have delta file comments that come in from other people like, wow, people don't like that the boss has positive intent, or we assume he or she does. And so you don't have to have things in your delta file that only come from you. You could include other stuff. And again, the delta file is a reminder when you have that level of authority or when you're put in that a similar position, reminding you of what you intend to change or do differently or not at all when you're at that level or that role.

[A]

Yeah, but folks, I want to be clear. The people who did these things, they're a lot like us and they have similar motivations. And we may very well believe that when we're in their shoes, the path is they took seems reasonable, even if not perfect. So because it's so easy to do those things logically in the moment without thinking about or forgetting the implications on your team members, the Delta file exists to remind us in that moment that even though it does feel logical and sensible and rational, it may not come across that way to our directs. And we just might want to take a second and think it through before we make that decision.

[B]

Think it through, rethink it.

[C]

Some of the most valuable professional relationships you'll ever build happen over a meal, not in a meeting room. The mConference includes a welcome reception, hosted meals, and multiple structured networking events. Because real executive development isn't just what you learn, it's who you're in the room with and what you build together. Two days, high caliber peers, annual event you don't want to miss. Learn more at manager-tools.com forward/mconference.

[B]

So now the question is, how do I keep a delta file? And in my opinion, I can see everybody going, oh, sure, I'll create a little notepad on my computer, on the company computer, my laptop, whatever, and I'll start writing. Yeah, so now one note. Our guidance. Yeah, and there's danger there. So let's be clear. It depends on whether you prefer electronic or handwritten notes for your delta file. We've seen them kept three ways. One is electronic, which we'll come back to. Then there are two forms of handwritten, one of which is easier and the other of which is better. The easier is to simply keep track of incidents as they happen with a simple delta or triangle near the notation. Right. It's easier because we can do it anywhere in the notebook that's right in front of us at that moment. But it's less effective because it's unorganized and we're likely to lose some or many of those moments we'll have to go back through, and they're all scattered throughout our notebook. The harder. And it's only slightly harder, so we still recommend it. And better way is to keep all of our notes in one place, perhaps the back of our regular notebook, one that we can take with us if we leave the company, perhaps in a file folder where we tear out notes and drop them into it. The key is they're all in one place and either works. But we do recommend having them in one place. And because they're handwritten, they're portable. And if you get fired or laid off, you don't lose track of them, you don't lose access to them, frankly.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. And folks Mark mentioned, we get back to the electronic version. If you want to keep them electronically, that's absolutely fine. But there are two key caveats. Is that how we say it in this country?

[B]

That is. That's correct.

[A]

There are two key caveats. One is to password protect it. I mean, I would say please do so, but you got to do so. The other is to recognize that it's likely that your electronic life will. Will be taken from you if you get laid off or fired. And if you want to keep your Delta file beyond just the current organization in which you work, you'll want to have a record of it elsewhere. So a couple things to keep in mind. The password protecting one, I think, is the more important one, honestly. But both, yeah, very important. Valid.

[B]

And you could have a note on your calendar that just says Delta, and once every two weeks, you email it to your personal email account and it's updated.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Look, folks, this is not the only thing you need to do to keep growing your skills and learning about what happens to you within the context of your organization. Maybe, in fact, it's a relatively small thing, but I do think it's a learning thing. And as Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, said maybe 10 years ago, the learn it all all always beats the know it all. And the Delta file is one of those career tools that once we start it and we see it work, we never go back to an empty toolbox. We have some lessons we learned so that when we get to the next level, we don't repeat the same mistakes. Right. He who doesn't understand history is doomed to repeat it will. He who doesn't keep track of the things that bother you are doomed to repeat it. When you're in their role and it made sense to them and they had positive intent, but you're going to say, no, there's got to be a better way.

[A]

Yeah. And it. It might not even be, in my mind, a behavioral change. You might still choose to do that thing, but having that note, having that reminder might change the way you couch it with your team or you talk about it, or it might just change your timing around it. It's a small adaptation. It's a consideration. This makes me think of the Middleman test a little bit. Another podcast that I'll link to on this one, that Middleman test. You are much more similar in your thinking to your directs than you are to your boss. Kind of the same idea, right? It's. They have a really good reason for it. I mean, this is going to sound probably bad. All of those examples that we read out loud, I'm like, yeah, I could see how that's logical. And I. I get that they don't sound nice at all, but I can also, having been in those shoes, see how that decision was made and that person thought it was the right way to go. It's normal, it's logical, it's rational. But again, you want to just make sure you're aware of it for the future. Because, folks, most of us don't intend to cause problems. We're acting reasonably given our position, our incentives, and our pressures. Which means when you eventually reach that level, you're likely to face the same pressures and make the exact same mistakes. That is, unless you have something to remind you how those decisions looked from the outside.

[B]

Yeah. So, continuing the summary that Sarah just started, we recommend that you record your own list of managerial and organizational practices that frustrate or concern you. Things your boss, your peers, or your directs. Do that seem wrong or counterproductive. We're not judging other people. We're just keeping track of it. Maybe we'll learn at the next level that some of those made sense strongly enough that we can continue them, but we might want to communicate around them and explain to people. I know this is hard, but here's why I'm doing it. Right? Beyond being a learning tool, the Delta file can serve you as a healthy, private outlet for frustrations, keeping you from venting about your boss or colleagues to the wrong people who may make you pay for it. Write it down, learn from it, reflect on it later, and perhaps consider alternate ways of doing it and let it make you a better leader when your time comes.

[A]

Exactly. Thank you so much for joining me today. Mark. That was a good one.

[B]

Yeah, it was a good one. Short and sweet, but powerful.

[A]

Exactly. Exactly. And thank you, folks. We hope this one helped you. Now, help us help others and tell your friends. And of course, follow rate and review our podcast. And remember, five stars only, please.

[B]

Five stars only, please.