Are you delaying a conversation with an employee?
Delaying dreaded conversations is increasingly costly to a leader and his/her organization. Leaders delay difficult conversations because they lack total confidence or the specific communication skills to hold employees accountable. Often, they have not received adequate leadership managment training and support.

Unfortunately, the longer a leader waits, the more it costs them and the organization in terms of worry, confusion, and lost productivity.

To read about my ebook, Transforming Dreaded Conversations into Dynamic Collaboration at Work, click here.

New Dreaded Conversations Teleclass for Leaders

*** Begins in April, 2006 ***

Click here for more information.

Why do leaders delay dreaded conversations?
They're intelligent, responsible, and proactive. Everything indicates they have the courage and ability to take control of any situation.

But, perhaps they've never had the time or the executive training to master effective communication skills such as:

• Setting measurable expectations,
• Giving fearless feedback,
• Holding employees accountable, or
• Using listening skills.

Maybe they're concerned they'll say the wrong thing and de-motivate, offend, or even anger an employee. This is a characteristic of a gentle leader who wants to learn appropriate assertive communication skills. Or, maybe they've got some slippery employees who, no matter what the leader says or does, the employees just don't perform. As a result, the leader postpones the dreaded conversation hoping that the situation will fix itself. In most cases, the performance problem only gets worse, and the employee loses faith in the leader.

As a result, the leader's self-confidence erodes. Eventually, either internal guilt or external pressure forces them to take some kind of action. But, this pressure often produces a disaster.

Leaders could be less stressed and more productive if they developed the confidence and communication skills to master dreaded conversations. With greater confidence and skills, managers can stop wasting their time and energy worrying about how to handle difficult situations. When leaders learn to be firm with their employees, they quickly resolve sticky conflicts and increase organizational productivity by insisting, in a humane way, that employees perform at a higher level.

To overcome fear and inaction, leaders need a process for learning the skills and for building the confidence to handle difficult situations. Most managers can learn to "transform dreaded conversations into dynamic collaboration" by mastering these Three Transformational Elements:

1. Six Personal Qualities -- such as courage and precision -- that reflect Who you are in the conversation.

2. Twelve Communication Proficiencies - such as listening skills and managing your emotional discomfort -- that reflect What you do before, during and after the conversation.

3. Three Organizational Environments - such as promoting a healthy corporate communication solution and culture -- that reflect Where you have the conversation.

I'm Dr. Suzanne Kryder, Ph.D., owner of a leadership training and coaching firm that helps leaders be confident, skilled communicators. Since 1985, I've trained and coached thousands of leaders and teams to communicate and work more productively, and to reduce the dread of difficult situations. Perhaps you're skeptical, but please explore this web site and you'll discover how to become a more confident and skilled communicator.

To read about my ebook, Transforming Dreaded Conversations into Dynamic Collaboration at Work, click here.

To visit my new content-based website, go to www.dreadedconversations.com.

Suzanne Kryder, Inc.
P.O. Box 35429
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87176
505/232-8433
Click here to email me
www.kryder.org