Delivering difficult messages to employees can be difficult, especially in today's distributed workforce. But the tough conversations are often the most memorable and can have a huge impact on morale.
To make these discussions a little less painful, follow these strategic steps to communicate effectively with your team.
Please understand the problem: Understand the problem at hand before contacting the team. This may relate to poor business results, changes in staffing, undesirable behavior or controversial policy changes. Understanding the issue is important to prepare a clear and concise message.
Determine the desired outcome: Consider what you want to achieve by conveying your message. You may need to put business news in context, explain ongoing changes, or encourage specific behaviors among your employees. Defining the desired outcome determines your communication approach.
Identify your audience: Decide who needs to hear your message. This could be your entire staff, a small group of directly affected employees, or even just one person. Decide whether everyone should hear the news at the same time, or if some individuals should be notified first. Consider the ripple effect of news, with directly affected employees as your inner circle and indirectly affected employees as your outer circle.
The core message consists of: Plan your conversation to focus on what you want your audience to think, feel, and do. Develop a calm and constructive approach to communicate your concerns and provide context for your decisions. Anticipate potential questions and prepare stories or examples that illustrate your main points. Describe the specific actions employees must follow and the relevant timing.
Choose the right time and place: Choose the right setting for your conversation to ensure privacy and minimize distractions. Encourage conversations to gain real-time insight into how employees receive information and gauge understanding. Give employees time to process difficult messages by being mindful of their other commitments and making adjustments where possible.
Follow up: After delivering the news, follow up with employees through individual and group meetings. Provide a set time for further discussion, answer questions, and address any concerns they may have.
In conclusion, delivering difficult messages to employees is an inevitable part of leadership. Following these steps can make the process less painful and more productive. As a leader, remember that during difficult times, it is important to “lead from within” and demonstrate genuine care and understanding for your team members.
Leading from within: Tackle difficult conversations with empathy and strategies to guide your team through difficult times.
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leadership gap
What comes between you and your greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions based on specific values and characteristics. However, over time, all executives reach a point where performance declines and failure persists. Few people understand why or how to prevent it.
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Lolly Daskal is one of the world's most sought-after executive leadership coaches. Her extensive multicultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages, and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her exclusive leadership programs are designed to be a catalyst for leaders who want to improve performance and create meaningful change in their companies, lives, and world.
Among Lolly's numerous awards and recognitions, Lolly Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts Inc. From a magazine. The Huffington Post honored Lolly with the following honor: The most inspiring woman in the world. Her writing has appeared on HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and elsewhere. Her latest book, The Leadership Gap: What Stands Between You and Your Greatness It became a national bestseller.