A field tool

The Watch List

A simple way to notice who is slipping, before the work does.

What this is

The Watch List is the one habit that turns a nagging hunch into something you can actually act on. It is a short, private record of the people who feel a little off lately: who they are, when you first noticed, and what specifically changed. That is the whole thing. A name, a rough date, and the behavior you saw.

Why it works

Memory is a terrible record. Without a list, the quiet ones blur together and the busy week wins every time. With a list, three things happen. You see a pattern forming instead of a one-off bad day. You see how long it has been going on. And you have something concrete to act on instead of a feeling you cannot quite name.

How to use it

1. Once a week, run your eyes down your team. For each person, ask one quiet question: are they still showing up the way they used to?
2. When someone feels off, add a row. Write the name, roughly when the change started, and exactly what you noticed.
3. Watch for a change that holds across more than one check-in. One bad week is not a signal. A change that sticks is.
4. When a row has held for two or three check-ins, it is time to plan a conversation. Use the Stay Conversation Planner for that.
5. Keep it private. This is your working notebook, not a file on anyone. Protecting trust is part of the job.

This stays on your device. Everything you type here is saved only in this browser, on this computer. It is never sent to us or to anyone. This is your private notebook.

Your list is empty.

Add the first person who has felt a little off lately: a name you will recognize, roughly when the change started, and exactly what you noticed.

A notebook only scales as far as one manager's attention. It works well for the people you see often. The quiet ones on another schedule or another location, the ones who never cross your path, are the hardest to hold in memory, and they are the ones most often lost.

When the list outgrows the notebook.

If you are already feeling the edge of what one person can watch by hand, that is exactly the problem Anchor was built to help with. No pressure, and no pitch.

See how Anchor could help you

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