difficult conversations for businesses

Difficult Conversations for Business People

With Neil Dennymediator, speaker and trainer

“Businesses invest in and long to see failure”

The cost of avoiding difficult conversations is counted in FIVE currencies.1. Money

The cost of avoiding difficult conversations is counted in FIVE currencies.1. Money2. Time

The cost of avoiding difficult conversations is counted in FIVE currencies.1. Money2. Time3. Energy

The cost of avoiding difficult conversations is counted in FIVE currencies.1. Money2. Time3. Energy4. Reputation

The cost of avoiding difficult conversations is counted in FIVE currencies.1. Money2. Time3. Energy4. Reputation

5.Opportunity

The cost of replacing and retraining staff lost through unresolved conflict is estimated to be 1.5 x annual salaryDuxbury and Higgins 2003

50% of HR professionals questioned by CIPD in 2008 reported staff had left as a result of unresolved conflictCIPD 2008 Leadership and the management of conflict at work

42% of managers’ time was spent addressing conflict in the workplaceWatson and Hoffman, Leadership Quarterly 7(1) 1996

42% of managers’ time was spent addressing conflict in the workplaceWatson and Hoffman, Leadership Quarterly 7(1) 1996

Up from 30% in 1976!

60% of HR practitioners, when asked, had had to deal with conflict in the last 7 daysCIPD, as above

60% of HR practitioners, when asked, had had to deal with conflict in the last 7 daysCIPD, as above

And 50% remained unresolved!

Avoiding difficult conversations1. Profound discomfort2. Upbringing – Family and Culture3. “We don’t do conflict here.” – Happy teams4. Non-assertive nature5. Fear6. Desire to be liked7. What being in conflict might say about us

Difficult conversations are like fish sauce.

Sometimes you’ve got to face the stink.

Avoiding difficult conversations means sacrificing our long term needs and goals in exchange for the short term alleviation of discomfort.

If only we had a system for enabling difficult conversations.

When we eventually engage with conflict we tend to do so in ways that are unhelpful.

Attack. Defence. Counter-attack.

Less Status Quo, more Eric Clapton.

Six riffs to transform conflict into growth in your business.1. Invitation2. Encouragement3. Acknowledgement4. Agreement5. Agreeing differences6. Solutions

When we deal with difficult conversations better then we bear with and build one another up and strengthen relationships even as we resolve the things that we do not agree upon.

Go to www.neildenny.com/freebooksign up for the conflict leadership newsletter AND receive your free e-book version of Conversational Riffs

Take a copy of our September white paper detailing how we have worked with other small businesses and organisations in the UK, Europe and North America.

Contact me to explore how we can work together to develop your conflict leadership skills and start transforming conflict into growth in your organisation.

www.neildenny.comwww.youtube.com/user/neilrdenny

neil@neildenny.com

07815 727693