Having The Hard Conversations

Too often I see managers, or people in a leadership position, avoid having a hard conversation. I get it, it is hard to be the person to tell someone they aren't performing or behaving in way they should be. When you finally do address the problem, did you do it in a way that was clear to the person? Do they really understand what they need to be doing differently?

If you feel like you've had the conversation with someone multiple times and it seems like they still aren't getting it, the problem isn't with them, it is with you. You might think you've had the conversation, but you aren't clearly communicating it.

The longer you let things go the more difficult the conversation becomes. If there is a problem, deal with it. If you have a water leak in your house, the earlier you address it the less damage you actually have to deal with. You can mop up the excess water, run a de-humidifier and maybe not have to spend a dime. But ignore it, hope it goes away or hope that it will just fix itself...your repair bill grows with every passing day.

If you are a manager it is part of your job duties to address those problems. It isn't easy having the hard conversation but it is worse not having them. If you aren't having the hard conversation then you aren't doing your job.  You are now the problem that has to be addressed. I wonder how your manager feels about having the hard conversation with you.