# How to Manage a Team Member Who Always Says It Won't Work

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-manager-s-hour-with-fexingo-people-management-team-building-and-leadership-skills-7871622/how-to-manage-a-team-member-who-always-says-it-won-t-work
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-manager-s-hour-with-fexingo-people-management-team-building-and-leadership-skills-7871622/how-to-manage-a-team-member-who-always-says-it-won-t-work.md
Podcast: [The Manager's Hour with Fexingo: People Management, Team Building, and Leadership Skills](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-manager-s-hour-with-fexingo-people-management-team-building-and-leadership-skills-7871622)
Published: 2026-07-05T04:36:17+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-managers-hour/episode-0094.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-managers-hour/episode-0094.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-manager-s-hour-with-fexingo-people-management-team-building-and-leadership-skills-7871622/episodes/how-to-manage-a-team-member-who-always-says-it-won-t-work
Duration seconds: 406

## Resource

In this episode of The Manager's Hour, Lucas and Luna tackle the frustrating pattern of the team member who shoots down every new idea with 'it won't work.' Rather than labeling them as negative, Lucas reframes the behavior as a risk-aversion style and introduces a structured three-step intervention: validate their expertise, then ask for the specific failure scenario, and finally design a small test. They walk through a real example of a skeptical senior analyst in a marketing team who consistently blocked new campaign channels. Lucas shares a technique called 'pre-mortem plus' where the skeptic is asked to write down exactly what would have to go wrong for the idea to fail, turning their objections into a testable hypothesis. Luna adds a caution about timing—never confront this in a group setting. The episode closes with a reflection on how the same impulse that makes someone a great gatekeeper can also make them a blocker if left unchecked. #Leadership #Management #TeamBuilding #DifficultConversations #ChangeManagement #RiskAversion #Skepticism #Feedback #Communication #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #Coaching #ProblemSolving #Business #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #ManagersHour #NoAds Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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