

“The important thing is how you handle them.” “Difficult conversations can be many things to many people,” says Bruce. You might thrive, for example, resolving a conflict between two team members, but struggle when it comes to delivering negative feedback. Research from the Chartered Management Institute, for example, identified the 10 most challenging conversations to have at work – and the list included a few less work-related topics like family relationships and health.Īnd depending on your management style, you mind find certain conversations much easier to address than others. While performance issues are a key component of difficult conversations, there are many other conversations that might come up as well. “ An employee not exhibiting the values and policies of their workplace. This often impacts respect for their coworkers, customers and suppliers.”.“ An employee missing deliverables or submitting work that is not up to expected standards/quality.”.

“ Annual performance reviews where there is an disconnect between what the employee expects and what management are sharing.”.When you don’t nip things in the bud, the discussion is much harder.”īut what are the most common conversations that tend to worry managers the most? Corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew says there are three conversations that tend to come up the most often: “Sometimes it is not about what you are saying, but the fact that you didn’t say something in a timely way, that you have let an issue become more pronounced. “These are often related to performance, lack of advancement, letting people go, aspects of behavior that are more nuanced like demeanor, hygiene or attitude,” she says. The above quote from Michael Lopp brings up a good point: what exactly constitutes a difficult conversation? Are they always about delivering bad news?Īccording to Elizabeth Freedman, Principal at executive coaching firm Bates Communications, the most challenging conversations with employees are the ones that go beyond simple fact-based discussions to touch on topics more sensitive or personal in nature – and ones that were left to fester over time. What are difficult conversations, anyway? 🤷♀️ Why does it matter how you handle difficult conversations?.What are difficult conversations, anyway?.Our ultimate guide to having difficult conversations with employees will help you nail these conversations every step of the way. Not only do you need to deliver it, but you need to successfully deliver it.” It’s an honest something the human sitting across from you does not want to hear. It’s not just that you have news, it’s hard news.

“On the list of leadership merit badges, ‘Successfully deliver hard news’ is one the hardest badges to acquire. Michael Lopp, author and Slack’s VP of Engineering, puts it succinctly : They’re a part of the job – and, unfortunately, they’re not always easy. If you’re a manager, you’re going to need to get used to managing difficult conversations once in a while. Looks like it’s time for a difficult conversation. Jason has been taking two hour lunches, every single day. Sheryl has been making negative comments about her coworkers to anyone who will listen. Marcus hasn’t been hitting his deadlines for the past three weeks.
