06.The Consequences of Avoiding or Handling Critical Conversations Copy

Impacting the Leader’s Image and Goals

More Consequences of Avoiding or Handling Critical Conversations Poorly

In our previous lesson, we covered two consequences of a poorly handled conversation. In this lesson, we will be looking at two more, the first of which

Reduced Confidence in a Leader’s People and Business Management Abilities

To understand this point, let us look at an interaction between Ajit’s team members – Anitha and Manas.

Anita: “Just imagine!… Ajit waited for six months to let Naveen know that his performance was not up to par. What was he waiting for? Does he wait so long to make critical business decisions as well?

Manas (Manas laughing, shaking his head from right to left): “Huh… But the highlight of the situation is that when he finally did have a conversation, he mishandled it. Now if that’s the way he functions, I have serious doubts about his abilities as a leader!”

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As a leader, when you avoid communicating with employees about things that matter to them, such as their role, team dynamics, and business in general, especially during tough or challenging times, they will start questioning your ability to handle people as well as business.

Just like Ajit, you may also feel the need to avoid a critical conversation. But the ripple effect of avoiding such situations or handling them poorly can be multifold, to the extent where your employees begin having severe doubts about your leadership abilities.

And that brings us to the last consequence of getting critical covnersations wrong.

Poorly handled critical conversations can

Lead to Higher Absenteeism and Employee Turnover

As we had seen in a previous lesson, we saw how a poorly handled conversation between Arun and his team member Vivek led to a fallout that resulted in Vivek’s exit from the company.

Employees who feel disrespected, undervalued, and unheard usually tend to withdraw their discretionary effort, meaning they will not put in that extra effort to meet stretch goals.

You are likely to observe diminished energy, even absenteeism in employees, and in a few extreme cases, many may even decide to quit the company.

The impact of such employee behaviour on a leader’s goals cannot be lost on anyone.

The Bottom Line

Poorly handled critical conversations lead to…

1. Prolonged or Aggravated Issues
2. An impression that there is no problem and denies the employee a chance to improve
3. Reduced Employee Productivity and Business Efficiency
4. Reduced Employees’ Confidence in A Leader’s People and Business Management Abilities
5. Higher Absenteeism and Employee Turnover

These are the things that can go wrong, but there are many benefits of getting this right

The benefits of getting critical conversations right

If handling critical conversations poorly has negative consequences, getting them right will:

1. Help improve team member skill levels and productivity
2. Improve teamwork and the work environment
3. Enable you to better manage team conflict
4. Present your abilities to handle critical situations in the right light

Clearly, there is a lot that rides on a manager’s ability to handle critical conversations effectively.

In Conclusion

A lot depends on a leader’s ability to initiate critical conversations at the right time and handle them well.

The consequences of getting it wrong are manifold, as are the benefits of doing it right.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. We will be covering how you can handle critical conversation the right way in a subsequent module.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. We will be covering how you can handle critical conversation the right way in a different module.

Do take the quiz that follows before you move ahead.

Happy Quizzing!