4 Things You Can Do to Prepare for Tough Conversations with Team Members
At some point, we all face the task of having a difficult conversation with another employee or someone in our charge. The best leaders understand while these conversations may not be pleasant, they are necessary. In many ways maintaining an open and honest dialogue with your team will make these types of situations more comfortable. When you get to a point where an important conversation must occur, it should not be a surprise.
There may be many reasons you need to have these types of conversations. For example, it may be for ongoing performance problems. Or, sometimes people make mistakes that require immediate follow-up and counseling to ensure they do not happen again. Perhaps organization changes have occurred, and a position has been moved or eliminated. Any of these are conversations that require care and concern for the individuals involved.
In speaking with retail leaders, the one type of conversation that is most difficult involves performance. There is usually not a set script for those, and every situation is a little different. There are some things you can do to ensure that these types of conversation go as well as possible, but most importantly, accomplish what needs to happen. Here are some steps you can take to ensure your difficult discussions are productive and humane.
Prepare
Take time to make notes on what needs to be accomplished through this conversation. What are the key points that need to be addressed? Anticipate the questions, concerns, or rebuttals that may come during the conversation. Having some idea how the other person will react will help you mentally prepare for how the conversation will go. Hopefully, this will not be the first time this person is hearing some of the feedback or examples you are providing. You can use those earlier conversations as a gauge to how they may react. Ensure you have all of your information gathered together so you can feel fully prepared going into the meeting.
Schedule time
Schedule the time to have the discussion. Ensure you block enough of your time to adequately cover the situation and allow time for follow up or questions the associate may have. You do not want to feel rushed or distracted during this conversation. Allowing enough time for the discussion, and some dialogue also will enable you to remain fully present and provide your full attention to the other person. Regardless of the situation, they deserve that from you.
Stay on point
Keep your message clear and concise. Set the expectations of the meeting upfront to remove the debate from the beginning. In most cases, it is best to get to the point and outcome of the conversation quickly, then provide the supporting details. Most employees will know at this point that something bad is happening, and they do not want to wait while you beat around the bush of what is going to happen. State the outcome in no uncertain terms. If the person is being terminated, state that. “Your position has been eliminated. Or, based on the previous conversations and your continued poor performance, I have made the decision to terminate your employment.” You can choose the right words for specific situations, but ensure they are to the point. If the decision is final (and this is not a fact-finding discussion), then ensure that is understood upfront.
If they want to argue that there is a reason for the behavior or performance, listen, but ensure you come back to your observed behaviors and how that relates to the expectations and restate the decision is final. This is where your preparation will come in handy.
Clear next steps
Be clear about what happens next. Is this a one-time thing, or could it lead to something more? Have all of this prepared before you begin the conversation. Work through the longer-term implications with your HR Business Partner and whoever else you need to so that you have a full set of steps as to what will happen immediately following your discussion. This includes the expected behaviors that begin immediately.
If your conversation is resulting in the termination of employment, have all of the information the employee will need to begin making their own decisions. How will their benefits be handled? What are they entitled to now that their employment has ended? When will they receive their final check? Recognize that many people will begin to think about their family implications of this outcome. Be sensitive to that. Providing them with information will be the most important thing you can do for them at that point.
Having a tough conversation is part of being a leader. They are necessary and can have implications beyond the single event. Being sensitive and professional during these situations will reflect on your character with that specific individual as well as those around you. Word gets out about how people are treated, even when it is in performance management situations. How you handle the tough conversations will reflect on how others see you in everyday situations as well.
What else can you do to ensure that your tough conversations happen as smoothly as possible?
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