Right Fit Leading: “The Talk”

Companies and their leaders get anxious when deciding on having “the talk” with employees. “The talk” can be positive or negative and it goes beyond whether people are onsite, remote, or hybrid workers. Let us look at leading and managing employees with a focus that is as much on the engagement as it is on the issue.

No matter where people work, leaders must employ open and honest communication at every opportunity. I am seeing many wonderful approaches to leadership, but leaders must be agile in the way they communicate. There are 4 ways leaders can ensure successful communications.

Engage. Ensure that the conversation pays attention to the views and commitments of all parties with an equitable focus on these issues.

Listen. Make sure you hear what everyone is saying. Good listening is like good research. The researcher is after truth regardless of the reason for the effort.

Understand. Listen to understand, not to reply for the best results. Then do what good communication requires by analyzing what you have heard and compare it to what you already know. If your approach needs to change based on that understanding, you might want to schedule a session at another time. But make sure to schedule the session.

Connect. Conduct the rest of the engagement in search of a win-win outcome. If that is not possible, strive for a shared understanding where all parties know the engagement’s views and commitments, proposed goals or outcomes, and next steps.

I hope this engage-listen-understand-connect roadmap for “the talk” is helpful for you. Let me know if you would like to discuss further.