Having a difficult conversation isn’t the hardest part. Preparing to have one is much harder. As I shared in the blog from last week, there are many things that can occur. Some of these things you can prepare for and some you can’t. All you can do is plan as much as possible to have the best conversation under difficult circumstances.
Here are some of the things to think about when you are planning the conversation:
- What are all the things that you need to say?
- What objections will they have that you can address proactively?
- What questions can you ask to better understand the situation?
- What do you think you may be assuming that could be wrong?
The last question is key. I have learned over time that assumptions can get us into trouble. We may see the situation happening one way in our mind and the complete opposite could be occurring. Checking those assumptions is one of the best things that you can do to ensure your own clarity.
Do you truly understand why they are struggling? It is easy to make judgments and potentially be missing out on some key facts. What if you assume that they are doing their best, but something is holding them back? Is there something going on in their personal life? Do they need more support from you or additional training? Asking questions to better understand what is going on for them can help the conversation have a higher level of success. You may learn something that you didn’t know was happening for them or that you can easily help them so that they can move forward.
Have you heard about the Women’s Leadership Retreat that I am hosting in April? There are still a few spots available. Reach out to me and get more information so you can join us!