29 Aug [VIDEO] 5 Tips to Having Better Conversations with Employees
Having difficult conversations with our team isn’t fun. However, it’s all part of being a manager. We can choose to dread these conversations or we can choose to see them as an opportunity to help the people on our team grow. Being open and honest with your team can help you build better relationships and ultimately help them do their best work.
In this video, I share 5 tips to having difficult conversations with your employees.
1. Be Prepared. Before sitting down with one of your employees, it’s important to know exactly what needs to be said and what your desired outcome of the conversation is. This will help you stay on track, especially if it starts to get uncomfortable. We don’t want to “wing it” when it during these types of conversations. The more we have these conversations, the less uncomfortable they become.
2. Be Real. No need to sugarcoat it. Let them know upfront that it’s not going to be a fun conversation. We all want to be treated with respect. Like Matthew Kelly says, “people are people are people.” When having these conversations, we can’t forget that we’re talking to another human being so talk to them like a person. It’s going to help both of you be more comfortable and have a better conversation.
3. Choose Your Words Carefully. Understand that everyone receives information differently. If you lead a team, you should know their personality type. If you don’t it would be a great exercise for you to have them take something like Myers Briggs or Enneagram so you have a deeper understanding of your people.
4. Prompt a Dialogue. Ask great questions and allow the person to ask you questions.
5. Don’t Get Emotional. I’m not saying you can’t be empathetic, in fact, you should. However, we can’t let our emotions get the best of us. Stay calm and in control even if the other person starts to get defensive. Keep emotions out of it and stick to the facts and the desired outcome.