What Now? The Aftermath of Courageous Conversations

Profile Picture of Post's Author Stephanie Jens | Posted November 20, 2023

We have worked up the courage to have a tough conversation with our employees or teammates about their performance or interaction with others on the team…. now what? The work isn’t done just yet, in fact, it’s just beginning. To keep things moving in the right direction, there are a few things to keep in mind to make the follow up conversations as successful as possible.

  1. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen: It can be tempting to walk away after the conversation and think your job is done. Although that may seem appealing, it can really backfire and make the situation worse. Use the opportunity to let things settle for a day and then plan a follow-up conversation to see what type of reflection has happened since your conversation. Thank them for taking the time to have the conversation with you and review the positives outcomes and any action steps that were decided upon.
  2. Write it down and review occasionally: In order for both parties to come to a conclusion, it’s very helpful to write down what was discussed and what the action plan consists of. Then you can make sure to revisit this in the future if things start to drift off course again. Stay focused on solutions and how to move forward.
  3. Continue to stay in conversation: This might require additional time, but staying in conversation with the individual, as well as those that they interact with, will keep everyone on the same page and moving towards the same common goal. Review the action items with key stakeholders so that they can provide insight and advice to the situation. Remember to keep emotions at bay and stick to the facts.
  4. Build your relationship: Don’t overlook the fact that this is just one human being talking to another human being. Work on building the relationship outside of the challenging conversation, so you can create a relationship for the long-term. Lastly, take the time to give positive reinforcement if you see them implementing the action items. Nothing builds engagement faster than an employee that feels appreciated.

No one likes tough conversations, but if done correctly, they can be very successful. However, remember that it isn’t a one and done conversation. Hopefully these tips will help you reach your end goal of growing your team and inspiring them to improve in their roles.

You can find a PDF of this blog post here.

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