By Coach Nancy – Proffitt Management Solutions
Whether you’re giving difficult feedback to an employee, approaching your supervisor with a problem, or having an uncomfortable conversation with a peer — handling difficult conversations at work is enough to fill anyone with dread. Still, these conversations need to happen. In fact, you should want them to.
Difficult conversations may be challenging, but they’re also incredible opportunities. It’s a chance to help an employee learn and improve their career, an opportunity to grow closer to another team member, or simply a chance to prevent a small problem from becoming a larger one. Difficult conversations will always have to happen, but how you handle them is the difference between fulfilling that sense of impending doom, or having a meaningful experience with a positive outcome.
Ultimately, how you approach the conversation is what sets it up for either success or failure. In the end, while the topic may vary, one thing will always be consistent — the human element. When it comes to difficult conversations at work, that angle will always set you up for success.When having difficult conversations at work, focus on observations and actions
- Difficult conversations are, by their very nature, difficult and are likely to be somewhat tense. Emotions will be high for an employee receiving negative feedback on their performance, or being reprimanded for their interactions with customers or coworkers. That’s why it’s necessary to keep conversations as factual as possible.
There’s room to discuss an employee’s feelings on a matter. However, the centerpiece of your discussion should be around something tangible. This keeps it objective, harder to debate, and less likely to be interpreted as an interpersonal attack.