All leaders must learn how to harness crucial conversations to enhance their ability to influence the people around them.
What is a crucial conversation?
- Daily conversations about tough issues between two or more people where: (1) Stakes are high; (2) Opinions differ; and (3) Emotions run high
- Use a face-to-face approach versus email, Teams/Slack, and voicemail
The following four strategies will help you master crucial conversations:
1. Focus on achieving your ideal outcomes and consider your options.
• Always ask yourself – what is my ideal outcome?
• Options include: confront, collaborate, accommodate, avoid
2. Master your emotions and minimize negative self talk.
• Step 1: How am I feeling? If you are in a negative emotional state, regulate yourself or delay the conversation
• Step 2: Change your physiology
• Step 3: Reframe the situation
3. Influence strong opinions and don’t take things personally.
When dealing with someone who is self-confident and opinionated; highly intelligent; action oriented; high performance expectations; highly disciplined; unemotional:
- Step into your strengths and go after what you want
- Continue to build your own skills, behaviours, and experience
4. Celebrate and learn from failures and successes and move on.
• Do the best you can and move on
Adapted from the book: The Talent Advantage by Dr. Alan Weiss and Dr. Nancy MacKay, published by Wiley.
