Train Managers to Master Difficult Conversations

• Difficult conversations can be hard to approach as they cover workplace conflicts and topics such as delivering bad news, apologizing, asking for something, and discussing sensitive subjects.
• Managers, like the rest of employees, avoid these difficult conversations because they do not have the confidence, experience, or methodology to approach them effectively.
• When managers avoid difficult conversations they negatively impact employee productivity and engagement, take up time from the human resources department, and can cost the organization thousands of dollars.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

• When managers avoid difficult conversations, they are not fully carrying out their role as an employee with people responsibilities who is required to communicate to get things done.
• Getting managers to start facing difficult conversations and handling them effectively starts off with training and continues after the session is over with support from peers, HR, and the organization.
• The McLean & Company Difficult Conversations EASE Framework can help managers through a challenging conversation by guiding them through the appropriate pre-work, engaging the employee in conversation, absorbing the employee’s point of view, sharing their own perspective, and ending the conversation with actionable next steps and follow-up.

Impact and Result

• Decrease managers’ avoidance of difficult conversations and get them to stop freezing and giving in when it comes time to face them.
• Increase managers' success rate with handling a difficult conversation.
• Free up time for HR that can be spent on more value-added activities that positively impact the organization.