Leaders must know how to talk !

“Conversations are the work of a leader and the workhorses of an organization.”

Susan Scot, Author Fierce Conversations.

Leaders and managers are supposed to do 3 tasks. They are Planning, Execution and Performance Assessment.

These tasks require managers to have distinct conversations, each with a unique structure. These conversations are high stake conversations. In an ever-busy business environment, managers often mix up these conversations.

For example, just after they have reviewed a project (A conversation where employee usually gets defensive, justify the work and actions), The Manager asks so what are you plans for your future? The employee finds it difficult to make the transition from a defensive mindset to an open mindset.

"While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship, or a life – Daily conversations done with Intent and skill helps in strengthening relationships, helping the people involved and getting the work done."

Charanjit Lehal, Leadership Coach

INTENT – Before the conversation the leader must be clear about what could be an appropriate Intent for the conversation. The Intent has to be worked before the conversation. The rest of the conversation flows from the intent. A leader has to do the pre work about why the conversation is happening, what should come out of the conversation.

INTERACTION – The actual conversation. A good conversation must have a start, a middle and a conclusion.

Start – This is a part where Respect is created for the other person. Intent of the conversation is shared. The other person is invited to share his/her intent. A good start helps in creating Mutual Respect and shared Intent.

?Middle – This is the part where the participants share what he/she has to say. The first stage is to let everyone express fully. The listeners must listen and acknowledge what the speaker is saying. At this stage acknowledgement is important. The agreement or disagreement will come later. This is critical as moving ahead without expression and acknowledgement will not let any progress be made.

Successful talkers then move on to what is the purpose of the conversation. They ask a critical question, “What needs to be done now?” This takes the conversation in the desired direction.

The middle of the conversations must tackle with agreements and disagreements so that new agreements can be made.

Conclusion – A good conversation in the end provides clarity to all the participants about:

Who will do What by When - Clear responsibility with timelines?

Who will get what and who will provide it – The allocation of resources and guidance?

What will we get – The clarity about Accountability & Consequences?

A good conversation in the end provides clarity to all the participants about actions to be taken, responsibilities, resources & accountabilities.

IMPACT – Any good conversation provides an agreement to what needs to be done. The actual work starts after the conversation. A proper follow up must be ensured about the actions, the feedback and the reviews. A follow up provides the opportunities for further conversations in case they are needed.

Impact is created after the interaction has taken place. It requires proper follow ups.

Globalization and new technologies have sharply reduced the efficacy of command-and-control management and its accompanying forms of corporate communication. Leaders can promote operational flexibility, employee engagement, and strategic alignment through day-to-day conversations.

My Work – In collaboration with our clients, we design comprehensive learning and development experience which challenges the status quo, facilitates the learning, and supports the development of the individuals and teams.

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1.??????Leadership Development (Competency based development interventions)

2.??????Leadership Transition (Mentoring relationships - Design, Execute and Handover)

3.??????Leadership Effectiveness (Documentation of training application & its Impact)

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You can reach me at [email protected] for any leadership development initiative.

Kindly share your views, opinions and experiences on the subject.

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