Helping Managers and Leaders Prepare for Difficult Conversations

How do you handle a difficult conversation with a work colleague without damaging the relationship? Peter Young explores six areas that managers and leaders can focus on, to help navigate these tricky conversations successfully.

"Of the many topics managers and leaders bring to coaching, one of the most frequent I encounter is “how do I handle this difficult conversation with a work colleague without damaging our relationship?” And while many have a theoretical understanding of what is needed, it is within the coaching dialogue that we unearth the more precise aspects of their speech that will otherwise sabotage their intended conversation.

Over years of conducting such coaching conversations, six areas have emerged as the most commonly occurring features of speech where a few simple changes can bring about dramatically different outcomes. Each feature represents a different way in which the client’s language gets subtly misaligned with their best intention for their difficult conversation. Each provides an example of how unhelpful unconscious attitudes get reflected in speech and behaviour. By bringing attention to these misalignments and by conducting simple experiments with the client’s language, it is common for them to start feeling more confident and authentic; for them to feel they are bringing more of what is true and important to them, whilst experiencing greater openness to the other, thus generating improved outcomes both in the work and in their relationships..."

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