Meet Dr. Carleta Alston

AWAY WITH DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

One of the tenets of leadership is to accept when the time comes to have difficult conversations. Part of the reason leaders struggle with this responsibility is because they may not have had successful conversations in the past.

What went wrong?

There is a plethora of reasons for a conversation to go off the rails, and leaders who are cognizant of the danger zone in a difficult conversation can avert a catastrophe.

Unfortunately, leaders who are not adept at the skill of managing difficult conversations only exasperate the situation. They may plunge in too quickly with accusations before ever doing a root analysis. They may also lead with irrational emotional language. This faux pas speaks to a lack of judgment, evidence, and logic.

TIPS FOR HAVING A SUCCESSFUL CONVERSATION

In order to have a successful conversation with an employee or colleague, the leader must see the employee as a human being first. Simple recognition is overlooked and sets a dismissive tone in the meeting

Here are a few important things to remember during a difficult conversation:

1. Acknowledge the employee in the room by name, eye contact, and a handshake. The employee will be put at ease and feel recognized.
2. Listen and refrain from having a prepared speech. By allowing an organic conversation to take place, the leader is in the driver’s seat and able to steer the conversation along.
3. Suspend judgment until all of the facts have been presented. Give the employee the benefit of the doubt.
4. Make room for the employee to voice his/her concerns without fear of reprisals
5. Exercise empathy because there is a reason the conversation escalated to this difficult meeting. Try to understand the underlying problems from the employee’s point of view.

The sign of good leadership is understanding and practicing good compassionate skills when conducting difficult conversations with employees or colleagues.

It is one of the potential strengths of a leader that gets underdeveloped. However, with these recommendations, any leader can shift from contention to contentment and do away with the dreaded difficult conversations.

Meet Dr. Carleta Alston

LEADER IN TEGRITY MATTERS

The primary reason that leadership integrity matters is because followers depend on it, and they perceive good leadership by good character. For many leaders, doing what is right and best is a natural response. They inherently believe that good comes out of doing what is right.

However, integrity is not a characteristic that all leaders possess. In fact, some leaders are gravely challenged when it comes to making decisions with honest intentions. Yes, they may quickly justify their actions and claim it is for the greater good, but in reality, it may mask deception and manipulation.

Why does having integrity matter?

By definition, integrity means having honesty and moral principles. If someone were to dissect the word integrity, it would display the word “in” meaning internal to the individual and the word “grit” meaning having the fortitude to stand up for what the leader believes.

Internal grit is powerful, and if a leader does not have it, he risks losing on multiple levels. Not only will it jeopardize trust relationships, it will diminish the integrity or wholeness of organization. It can also create a hostile work environment. Is it worth it? Perhaps not, which is why it is so important to highlight the benefits of leading with integrity.

BENEFITS

Leadership integrity has several benefits, including:

Here are a few important things to remember during a difficult conversation:

1. Building trust with team members and stakeholders
2. Creating a positive work culture based on honesty and accountability
3. Encouraging ethical behavior and decision-making
4. Inspiring loyalty and commitment from employees
5. Enhancing the reputation and credibility of the organization
6. Improving overall performance and productivity.

A leader lacking integrity can become better as long as the desire to change is greater than pull to remain the same. Start by being integral with oneself.