The reason why difficult conversations are often avoided or handled poorly is rarely examined. Instead, what an organisation is often left with is the impact of that poorly managed situation.
For instance, a manager is aware that the organisation is undergoing a restructuring. This means that two members of the team will have to be made redundant. Instead of having the conversation, the manager continues to avoid it, until a formal consultation is scheduled. The conversation which was being avoided has incidentally become a bigger issue which undermines trust and psychological safety. Although two employees due to be made redundant, the leader may discover that this situation creates uncertainty in the minds of other team members as they worry about whether they might lose their jobs.
Why was that manager reluctant to have that conversation?
There are various reasons that could explain this leader’s behaviour, and one of them is fear.
Everyone experiences fear but some people experience fear more intensely than others. Perhaps this manager was on the same level as that employee previously and they are afraid that if they have that conversation, they will no longer be liked by that individual.
From a professional perspective, the organisation might rationalise that the manager has been employed to do a job and therefore, they must get on with it. However, in such instances, the senior management team often forget that this manager was only promoted because they were excellent at their job.
Organisations sometimes fail to provide emerging leaders with the tools they need to successfully manage people.
Therefore when this manager is faced with this difficult conversation. The easiest thing to do based on their perceptions, is bury their heads in the proverbial sand and avoid the conversation.
Instead of just directing leaders to have difficult conversations, it is better for organisations to dig a bit deeper into the fear that paralyses them and prevents them from moving forward in the team.
The benefit to an organisation will be seen in increased trust and psychological safety because employees often learn to trust the organisation by first trusting their manager.
Written by Chikodi Lori
Disclaimer
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and reflects personal insights on leadership and workplace development. It does not constitute professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. Any reliance placed on this content is at your own discretion.