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How to manage tough conversations

Business Central NZ

Supporting, Facilitating & Representing Business

发布日期: 2022年10月13日

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How to manage tough conversations

When I get the opportunity to facilitate one of our in person training programmes, it’s truly a privilege.?As well as meeting new people, learning as a group and developing new skills and competencies, I love singling?out a topic or issue that’s front of mind for those attending.

And last week in Palmerston North, we did just that!?At our Aspiring to Lead course, we talked about the greatest challenge new leaders face. Eight out of the ten?attendees agreed it was having difficult conversations with their team.?Conversations about behaviours, performance, working as a team – the list is long.?There was no doubt new leaders?need?to have these conversations, but – with such limited leadership experience – do they know?how?to have them?

Working as a group, we came up with a number of suggestions that make these conversations less daunting.?First, and absolutely fundamental, is being in the right frame of mind.?It’s about genuinely engaging in a conversation, listening to the other person’s views and opinions, not just hearing what’s being said until the opportunity comes to reply with your own predetermined thoughts.

Second, changing the other person’s mind shouldn’t be the objective.?Sharing, learning, discussing – understanding a different perspective, appreciating limitations, working through obstacles.?These are the elements of turning a difficult conversation into a collaborative one.

Last, and certainly not least, the group believed developing an emotional connection, behaving with integrity and demonstrating empathy, were critically important.?No one likes to be talked down to, no one likes to be disrespected, and so using the conversation to foster a greater sense of harmony and team goes a long way.

In summary, we learned that engaging in difficult conversations can build stronger relationships and foster a more inclusive work environment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, working through a very common and daunting leadership challenge.?It taught me a great deal, and reinforced the value of investing in new leaders.

If you’d like to invest in new leaders in your team, and have the sort of experience I’ve just been lucky to have, get in touch with us.?We’d love to hear from you.