Leading Difficult Professional Conversations

Leadership is complex at the best of times! If leadership is a relationship that increases capacity, at an individual or organisational level, then being able to engage and support others in engaging with challenges directly must be part of the remit.

Leaders often find themselves navigating overlapping crises within their organisations and are experiencing intense emotion and responsibility regarding these crises. How, then, do we hold difficult conversations in a way that is supportive of others, productive, and meaningful, rather than just superficial or performative? How can we create space for legitimate engagement, particularly regarding content that may be brand new to us?

From time to time every leader/manager will face the prospect of having difficult professional conversations which they may feel ill-equipped to handle. Scenarios of this kind include: addressing under or poor performance, tackling instances of unacceptable behaviour, investigating reports of bullying, giving developmental feedback, turning down employee requests, dealing with sensitive personal issues, handling a grievance or disciplinary process, or telling an employee that their job is at risk of redundancy.

Instigating a difficult conversation can feel daunting and there is a natural tendency for managers to delay taking action in the hopes that the issue will be resolved without their intervention. But this is rarely the case.

Andy Hind

Andy has over 30 years of experience, within education, including Headship, National College of Teaching and Leadership Consultancy and OFSTED. He is currently the Senior Consultant with Enhancing Learning Ltd and is supporting schools, colleges and Music Services across the U.K., Europe and Asia with continual improvement, leadership development and outstanding professional practice.

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• Captioning: AI-Generated
• Breakout rooms: Yes (for small group discussions)

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