I’ve found that the same is true for language. If an employee says something out of anger or fear that isn’t crucial to the conversation, I’m unlikely to echo it. But repeating back key points while maintaining open body language helps a great deal.
“You didn’t know that was a rule.” “You had too much to drink, and you feel terrible about it.” “Challenges with some prospects were beyond your control.” By saying these kinds of things, — and that, despite the circumstances, I still respected how terrible they felt. This can be especially helpful when these conversations take place by phone, without the benefit of eye contact and body language.
If an employee has misbehaved or broken a rule, you sri lanka telegram data may wonder, why try to help them feel comfortable? Of course, being stern and clear is important. But in all the examples I mentioned, working to calm things down and ensure we heard each other led to a positive outcome.
The great employee was given a chance to express his remorse for breaking a rule, open up about how awful he felt, and take steps to rectify the mistake. He went on to be an even better employee.
The man who had gotten drunk chose to resign and take steps to avoid repeating such behavior in the future. He understood that staying would have meant facing certain consequences, and that his workplace relationships were damaged. He took responsibility, owned his decision, and moved forward.
And while being laid off is painful no matter what, those I had to let go at least understood the rationale. We were also able to talk about their positive and highly transferable skills that could point them in the right direction for the next stage of their careers.
Nothing makes difficult conversations easy. And engaging in the positive uses of mimicry while avoiding the pitfalls can feel like a balancing act. But the more genuine your effort is to navigate it, the more successful you’ll be.
I could show my employees that I heard them
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