Why conversations are difficult

Will it irreversibly damage the relationship with a good employee? Or will it destroy a solid connection with a colleague? Or could a tough talk with the boss hurt your career? Handled right, difficult conversations can strengthen relationships. Use facts, statistics and documented incidents — not just observations.

When possible, schedule the difficult conversation on neutral ground to give the other person a chance to gather his or her thoughts and emotionally prepare to discuss it. Can we meet tomorrow at 8 a. You can cover difficult topics — such as performance , hygiene, conflict, etc. I want to walk away with the same strong relationship we came in here with. Your difficult conversation will be more successful if you work together to make things better. In all of the above situations, a common denominator is that employees want to minimize discomfort.

They will react in ways that will help them save face, avoid embarrassment and protect their own dignity. As a leader, I encourage you to join forces with your employee and help them accomplish the above.

As you have conversations to address concerns, make it as comfortable for them to talk with you as you can. At Living As A Leader, we offer a Leadership Development Series designed to produce leaders that can positively shape the cultural environment, reduce turnover and achieve crucial business initiatives. We do this by providing training, coaching and consulting with a focus on pragmatic communication tools for leaders at all levels of your organization.

For more information, contact Steph Collins at scollins livingasaleader. Aleta Norris is an expert leadership coach and trainer with 30 years of experience developing leaders. She is also a highly sought-after speaker for annual meetings, keynote engagements, panel discussions and networking groups. Email Aleta Aleta's Bio. Find out how our Leadership Development Series can help you and your organization improve the employee experience and drive business results through more effective leadership.

Register Now! Gratitude has the power to transform difficult situations into meaningful work. It can energize both the giver and receiver of gratitude. And it can be its own reward. Read More. Work is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades —— and as a result people are re-evaluating what they want out of their careers. The most effective workers know how to hold themselves accountable for results.

Because of this skill, they become successful and get promoted to positions of leadership. You even managed to avoid it for longer than you should have. He had feared for his life that day, he told the group, and he had hoped that immigrating to Northern Ireland from Somalia would have been the end of having to fear for his life.

In his work around the world, Cohen has seen that just one conversation can change lives: opening the door to a new way of looking at the world, to collaboration that previously seemed impossible, and to forgiveness, understanding and common ground. Any of us, he says, can change the world in this way. Whether or not we have them and how we have them is up to us. Melissa McFeeters. TED Talk of the Day. Al Gore How to make radical climate action the new normal.