Handling Difficult Conversations at Work

All leaders have difficult conversations at some point, whether it’s telling an employee they are not getting a raise or a promotion, disciplining poor performance, or even firing someone. Having difficult conversations is never easy, but there are ways to make those conversations both productive and as painless as possible.

Remember that as a business leader, you are also a coach. It’s up to you to provide everything your employees need to succeed. It’s important that you’re as committed to your company’s overall goals as your employees are. Make feedback a natural aspect of your organization and frame your thinking so that it’s key to growth and development.

It’s easy for leaders to brush an issue to the side, but by not addressing these issues, it can lower morale and cause a toxic work environment. The issue slowly gets worse as other employees see that you are not addressing the situation. The longer you wait, the more it can affect the workplace environment and productivity. The difficult conversation will become more difficult the longer you wait. You may also build up anxiety that will make the situation bigger in your mind than it really is.

Remember every situation is different. Your job is not to be easy on people. Your job is to make them better. Make feedback a common occurrence, and get in the habit of addressing issues immediately as they arise.