Especially during these trying times of the pandemic, having crucial conversations is necessary for growth.
But when you fail to do this well, what seems to be a healthy banter between colleagues could quickly turn into shouting matches.
So how do crucial conversations form part of your growth strategy?
What Is a Crucial Conversation?
A crucial conversation is a discussion between two or more people where
(1) the stakes are high,
(2) the opinions vary, and
(3) the emotions run strong.
Having those crucial conversations is necessary, especially when you're at the point that you're not growing. It allows you to recognize what you're facing with your decisions. It forces you to ask yourself: What do you want, and how do you want to do it?
If you don't make it a priority to ask the hard questions, you're still going to have to ask them eventually – and probably in a non-healthy way. And when you don't have the conversation, nothing changes.
Why You Need to Frame Crucial Conversations Well
- Crucial conversations provoke an over-emotional and irrational response.
It can be much more emotional if you don't know how to have that conversation or how to frame it. And if you're the emotional type, being controlled and rational is going to take practice.
- The best solutions only rise up when our people are free to share information.
Most people want safety. And they have a choice and an opportunity to create a safe place for people to share their deepest, darkest fears. Safe people create safe places. Whether internally as a company, as a culture, in your leadership, in your partnership, even in your marriage, people need to be free to express whatever they need to express without fear of judgment.
- You're never going to have a conscious conversation with an unconscious person.
Pay attention to timing and preparation. You should also be ready to listen.
- People need to fight, but they have to know how to fight.
Make sure you understand how you need to have it because once you're in a crucial conversation, that just goes into emotion.
If you want to learn more about how to carry out crucial conversations in business and your personal life, check out 026: Crucial Conversations Are Necessary For Growth
