We’ve talked about two specific times you should delay a conversation, what to do and what not to do. This is the third situation in which it makes sense to delay a conversation: When you haven’t prepared.
When you haven’t prepared
Why do so many leaders fail to plan for difficult conversations about performance or behavior? The reason stems from not knowing how to prepare, not knowing how to articulate the problem, or not clearly knowing the desired outcome. Once the problem has escalated many leaders simply decide to shoot from the hip, leaving the outcome to chance.
What to do
Get the facts first. See if you can write down the observed behavior. If you can’t, then you’re working off of feeling and assumption. Statements like “They aren’t engaged” are too general and based on interpretation. How does this behavior affect the organization? If you don’t know, then you haven’t connected their behavior to business results. If you can separate fact from feeling you’re better prepared to have a purposeful conversation.
What not to do
Don’t engage the other person if you don’t clearly know what the situation is and what you need to change. Don’t act like their best friend, by flattery or manipulation. Don’t forget to give clear action steps with a date for follow up posted on the calendar.
To your success,
Marlene Chism
