OLD SCRIPT DETECTED
“I quietly hope his biggest deal falls through”
Try this response:
“His contract closing doesn't rewrite mine.”SEE THE PRACTICE
Build a response for this thought—and one move to prove it.
THE THOUGHT
“I quietly hope his biggest deal falls through”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“His contract closing doesn't rewrite mine.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open your own pipeline for under 10 minutes and write down the one deal you can move forward today, without checking his account's stage first.
The forecast line with his name at the top
- 01 / His number pinned at the top of the board
The Monday forecast review puts his name at the top: a six-figure account listed as "verbal commit, contract out for signature." Someone congratulates him and the meeting moves on, but you're still stuck on that line. The thought arrives before you can catch it: I quietly hope his biggest deal falls through.
- 02 / Rooting for the stall, then hating that you did
From there you start checking his deal's stage more than your own pipeline — did legal push back, did the signer go quiet, is the close date slipping. Any hint of trouble gives you a flash of relief, like the scoreboard just tilted back toward fair. That relief is what keeps you checking, even though it leaves you feeling worse than before you looked.
- 03 / The moment you open his stage instead of yours
But the moment you catch yourself opening his deal stage is the same moment you can redirect it. That's the point where you can close his record, open your own forecast, and spend the next few minutes on the one number only you control: your own next call, not his contract status.
TRACE · 01/04
How this script runs you
- You refresh his deal's stage in the CRM hoping to see "stalled" instead of "closing."
- When someone mentions his six-figure account, you brace instead of feeling glad for the team.
- Catching yourself hoping for his loss leaves a guilt that lingers longer than the hope did.
SOURCE_LOCATED · 02/04
The hidden rule underneath
The Threat Radar
If his biggest deal closes, your quarter gets measured against a number you didn't hit, so a stalled contract feels like fairness restored rather than someone else's setback. The rule treats his signature as a referendum on you, so hoping for its failure feels like the only way to stay steady.
FORGING_REPLACEMENT · 03/04
Replacement lines (record these)
- His contract closing doesn't rewrite mine.
- I can check my forecast instead of his stage.
- One big deal isn't the whole scoreboard.
Generated per person in the app — these are the flavor, not your script. Yours is built from your exact words.
INSTALL · 04/04
The protocol, on one card
When I think
“I quietly hope his biggest deal falls through”
I say
“His contract closing doesn't rewrite mine.”
Then I do one thing
Open your own pipeline for under 10 minutes and write down the one deal you can move forward today, without checking his account's stage first.
STATUS: READY_TO_INSTALL
Wipe this thought4 minutes. Your voice. Free.
The wipe protocol
- Write the thought exactly as it plays: "I quietly hope his biggest deal falls through". Word for word — the wipe targets the sentence, not the vibe.
- Trace the rule and the avoided action. What does this thought conveniently excuse you from doing?
- Record the replacement lines below in your own voice. Speak like you mean it — no recording, no install.
- Run the loop: play it every morning and night, log one proof action a day for 7 days.
Straight answers
Why do I hope his biggest deal specifically falls through, not just any of his wins?
Because it's the deal with the most visible payoff — a six-figure or headline account reads like a scoreboard update on your own standing. The size of the deal is what makes its outcome feel like it says something about you, not just about him.
Why does checking his contract status feel better than working my own pipeline?
Checking gives a quick answer, closing or stalling, while your own pipeline takes longer to move. That quick relief is what pulls your attention toward his deal stage instead of your own next call, even though it doesn't change either number.
What do I do with the guilt after I catch myself hoping for his failure?
You don't need to argue the hope away or prove you're a good colleague. Noticing the moment you check his stage is enough — that's the point where you can redirect the next ten minutes toward your own forecast instead.
Related old scripts
Related self-checks
Related science
Researchers to explore
Related mechanisms
The research behind this script
- Sales Performance Rankings: Impact of the Type of Information Displayed on Sales Force Outcomes — Ahearne, Pourmasoudi, Atefi & Lam, Journal of Marketing, 2025
- Resolving the salesperson competitiveness-performance paradox: benign vs. malicious envy — Industrial Marketing Management, 2024
- Why Do Salespeople Quit? Own and Peer Effects on Salesperson Turnover — Sunder, Kumar, Goreczny & Maurer, Journal of Marketing Research, 2017