Talk About It

Are your team members skilled at creating deeper conversations? The kinds of conversations that go far below the surface level of day to day trivial. The kind of conversations about values, mission, goals, and (gasp!) feelings.

You do know that your team members are living, breathing critters with (yes...) feelings, don't you?

I remember what it's like as a front line supervisor trying to ignore those feelings. They didn't go away when I ignored them -- they just got more complicated.

Strong teams are built thru deep conversations. Got a problem? Talk about it. Need to focus more on a particular goal? Talk about it. Wondering what comes next? Talk about it.

I remember Susan Scott saying that relationships are built one conversation at a time -- and (most importantly) that the conversation is not about the relationship, the conversation IS the relationship. She also says that the heart of leadership is conversation.

So when we want to be better leaders, the fastest path to that is deeper, more meaningful conversations. We don't need to agree on everything. And yes, that means that we may stir up some emotions. How else can we achieve our difficult goals unless we stir things up and ignite the passion in our work and in our team?

Successful supervisors build strong teams thru honest conversations. No baloney. No lies. Tell your truth openly and with respect, and watch how much respect comes back at you.

-- Doug Smith

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High Performance Leadership

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