Every successful leader must learn how to effectively engage in difficult conversations. These “crucial conversations” — one of our favorite books is Crucial Conversations, written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Swizler — address the tough...
Are you a “point person,” or a “story person?” If you can’t recognize these two communication styles — in yourself and others — and adjust to your audience, you’ll often find yourself annoyed and frustrated (This opening is written for point people.) Sarah was beyond...
Having a tough conversation is something most of us do our best to avoid. It’s emotional and stressful. Most of us are very uncomfortable with confrontation — or anything that we think feels like confrontation. Sometimes, we see a difficult conversation coming. A...
By Kevin Ciccotti, CPCC, PCC. After the year we’ve just experienced, I don’t think anyone would deny that we could all use just a little more laughter in our lives. But what about more laughter at work? I think most of us would agree that laughter feels good and is...
By Lilian Abrams, Ph.D., MBA, MCC, ESIA. Sometimes, my coaching work weeks appear to have a theme. This week, the theme is: “When you anticipate having a difficult conversation, what would happen if you assumed that the other person was resilient?” Right now I have at...
By Roberto Giannicola, PCC. Several years ago, I saw a documentary about an experiment that demonstrates how something tiny could create an entirely different outcome in people’s perceptions. This took place in a store. When customers paid for their items, the cashier...
Most leaders have at least one difficult conversation on their radar. Whether it’s with an employee, a colleague, or a supervisor, there’s a good chance that you are either anticipating one, putting one off, just becoming aware that one is needed, or, ignoring one —...
By Salima Hemani, MBA, PCC. There are three key skills that a leader must demonstrate and master to become an engaged leader: Provide regular feedback Show support for other’s needs Address difficult situations and having challenging conversations Frankly, all...
By Nick Tubach, MBA, PCC. There is a simple, yet strategically significant difference in the communication styles of leaders versus managers. Managers and leaders both use different forms of influence and direction at different times. Leaders, however, demonstrate a...
Jason and Alex are two fast-rising stars at their Atlanta-based engineering firm. They love what they do and are very good at it. They have led project teams that have efficiently met their deadlines and successfully accomplished their goals. So when a leadership...