How Can I Handle Difficult Conversations More Effectively Through Executive Coaching?

Business leaders have to deal with many difficult conversations when running a business. Poor performance evaluations, workplace misconduct, employee disputes, and missed client deadlines are a few of the difficult conversations most business leaders try to avoid. Business leaders avoid having these conversations to escape the conflict. However, in the business world, conflict is everywhere, and it is impossible to avoid it completely.

Running away from problems will not make them disappear. Sooner or later, you will have to face them. Therefore, the best approach is to have these difficult conversations when needed. Unfortunately, many business leaders cannot tackle difficult conversations and shy away from them. It makes them anxious, frustrated, and angry and negatively impacts their business growth.

Do you fall into a similar category? Stress no more. Executive coaching can help improve your communication skills, as a large part of success is based on effective communication and mutual understanding. With the help of a business coach, you will be able to learn to handle difficult conversations effectively with minimal stress.

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Tips for Handling Difficult Workplace Conversations By an Expert Executive Coach

Having difficult conversations with employees, shareholders, or clients is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges for business leaders. The worst thing a business leader can do is avoid them. The more time passes, the more negative impact it will have on the business culture, productivity, and environment.

With the help of executive coaching, business leaders can learn strategies to master difficult conversations and obtain positive outcomes through them. However, if you don’t have the time and resources to take executive coaching, here are a few tips on how to handle difficult workplace conversations given by Simon Ellson, an expert executive coach at ActionCoach:

Be prepared

Preparation is the key to obtaining positive outcomes from any difficult conversation, which holds true, especially if an employee’s performance or behaviour is questioned. Suppose you have scheduled a meeting with employees to address issues with their performance or behaviour. In that case, you must take your time to prepare and base the conversation on real examples to support your observations.

Executive coaching helps business leaders understand the importance of fact-based evidence. Once a business leader has evidence to support their observations, it minimises misunderstandings and increases the possibility of obtaining positive outcomes.

Choose the Right Environment

To handle difficult conversations effectively, you must choose the right environment to address them. Where you meet is as important as how you meet. For most conversations, your office or a meeting room will be suitable. However, if you want to keep the topic of conversation confidential, an offsite location can be a perfect option.

Also, it is worth remembering that having serious conversations over coffee might not be appropriate. Therefore, you should always choose a location that aligns with the nature of the conversation.

Prioritise Confidentiality

Whenever an employee’s behaviour and performance are questioned, the rest of the workforce starts speculating, negatively impacting their productivity and worsening the situation for both the employee and the business leader. Therefore, the best approach is to keep matters confidential.

To gain perspective, a business leader should refer to first-hand accounts, employees’ complaints, and documented fact-based details. Once you have gathered the details, inform the employee that you have received feedback and want to discuss it with them.

While discussing, keep details general to protect those involved. Otherwise, the employee might hold grudges against other team members, affecting the workplace environment. If the situation is irrelevant to other employees, they should not be made aware of it. The more people are involved, the more difficult it gets to handle the situation!

Include HR Specialist if Appropriate

Business leaders should always include a witness – an HR specialist for serious issues like policy violations, behaviour issues, or anything that requires disciplinary action. Having a witness will minimise the chances of an employee making false claims and accusations. Also, you can include another manager if an HR specialist is unavailable.

However, a business leader should never include an uninvolved employee as a third-party witness. It will only make the employee in question aggressive and defensive.

Avoid the Fight Mode

Do you wonder why difficult conversations often escalate? Because business leaders try to tackle them with their “Fight Mode” on. Once this happens, the conversation turns into a game in which one loses and wins. However, in business, everyone looks bad and loses in such situations. Executive coaching helps business leaders temper their emotions, stay positive and stick to facts. When you have an executive business coach by your side, they will make you realise that the real opponent is not your conversation partner but the fight mode itself.

Once you overcome this attitude of yours, you can handle any difficult workplace conversation and obtain positive results through it.

Conduct Follow-ups

Business leaders should not expect to handle difficult conversations in one meeting. They might need to conduct three to four meetings to handle the situation effectively. Also, executive coaches emphasise a lot on follow-up sessions to see how employees are progressing and reiterate their support.

By doing so, employees will know they are valued and appreciated by the business leader. Therefore, they will not hold a grudge against their business leader, resulting in increased employee loyalty and productivity. However, while conducting follow-ups, make sure to be authentic and show a genuine commitment to them that goes beyond the resolution of the original issue.

Conclusion:

Do you wonder what the biggest mistake a business leader or CEO can make is? Avoiding difficult conversations. By doing so, they only worsen the situation and make it more challenging to handle. Many business leaders are aware of it but still shy away from tackling difficult conversations as they lack the skill to handle them. If you still can not handle difficult conversations after following the tips mentioned above, you should take executive coaching.