This rings very true. I wonder if a quick nudge in the right direction could be a standing 1-to-1 agenda, to provide a low bar opportunity for such requests. E

This rings very true. I wonder if a quick nudge in the right direction could be a standing 1-to-1 agenda, to provide a low bar opportunity for such requests. E.g. - what's going well - what's not going so well - how would you rate the current pace, where 1 is too slow/boring, and 5 is red-lining and we should review things? Forgive the clumsy/rushed example, but point #3 is about an opportunity to say "actually we're about 4 or 4.5 and it might be worth looking at what's happening". All the above assumes a good manager that can be trusted and can make a difference, of course.