Handling Difficult Conversation
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Handling Difficult Conversation
An Account of a Difficult Conversation I had in a Professional Context
When I was serving as a CEO of one of the major textile producing industry, an issue arose with one of the heads of departments. He was involved with several cases of absenteeism even after receiving a warning from my Office. The man was a good member of the staff before this case came up. He was always dedicated to his work always trying to do the right thing for the company. He was also very creative when it came to finding a solution to a challenge in the company. Due to his character we created a good rapport with him trying to involve him in some of my issues that I thought he could be of importance.
The good rapport between us made me feel reluctant in taking crucial action which would disadvantage him like suspension or firing. One of his fellow head of department felt that I was doing a little in solving the issue even after the several reports he brought to me about the man. He decided to report the matter to the director of the company. After providing enough proof, the director summoned me and ordered me to fire the head of the department. The decision was tough but I had to do it. I summoned the head of the department to explain to him the situation and issue him with his dismissal letter. After explaining to him, he gave me the reason why he was making those unpermitted absenteeism. He told me that his wife was diagnosed with cancer create at least 6 hours for at least two days a week to be with her as advised by her doctor
After confirming that what he told me was true, I could not dismiss him. I had to get back to the director and convince him to spear his job. I got it right in convincing the director and the man was given a leave to attend fully to her sick wife before returning to her job.
The problem in the context above built up majorly because of the failure of the head of department to communicate his problems to me earlier enough(Patterson,2012). His case was therefore misunderstood for indiscipline. The Director issued the order to fire the head of the department because he just got the message of absenteeism and did not inquire the reason why the employee was missing the working hours.
Lessons I Learnt From the Conversation about Communication
From the account above, I learnt that passing information at the right time to the right people can help prevent complication of cases. Had the head of department express to me his problem, I would have organize for his work leave earlier and he would have not got into the trouble.Another illustration from the account which explains this point is my case with the Director. Had I not get back to the director to explain the situation of the head of the department, he would have taken my failure to issue dismissal letter to the employee as disobedience.
The case also taught me that proper presentation of information can help in convincing the intended receiver of the message. The head of department presented to me his problem in a persuasive manner. He supported his message with facts like the specific hospital her wife was. That made it easy for me to confirm the truth. Another illustration for this point is how I convinced the Director to spear the employee’s job. I arranged the fact I gathered from the employee about his situation and then presented it to the director in a flowing and persuasive manner. I learnt from the above account that before taking any crucial action, one should ensure that they get full information about the issue(Patterson,2012). After getting to know about the problem, one should acquire for the reason behind the issue, from the right person, before taking action. Inquiring about the reason behind the employee’s absenteeism from work helped me save his job. The Director too would have not ordered me to fire the employee had he inquire the reason behind his case before the decision.
The Strategies which would Help Me Develop My Communication Skills
I base my strategies from the lessons above to help me get a better result when confronted with such issue again. The first strategy is to give chance to other parties in the conversation to express their thoughts. This will help me come to know the truth behind the issue and find a better way to express my decision on the matter in a rightful manner. The second strategy is choosing the right place for conversation(Kosmoski et el. 2005). This will help in avoiding destructions like noise hence making all the parties concentrate on the conversation. The final strategy is developing a conflict resolution skill(Baker et el. 2010). It is normal for such conversation to develop into conflict since it involves emotions from both parties. Conflict resolution skills will help me to solve any conflict that might try to rise from the conversation.
How I would Prepare for the Similar Difficult Conversation
If I were to face the similar difficult conversation this is how I will prepare to get the best result. First I will make sure I know the purpose of the conversation that is what I want to achieve the conversation(Baker et el. 2010). After that I would be able to gather all the relevant reasons behind my stand. This will help me to convince the other party in the conversation on my decision. I would set my mind to assume the negative reaction, like intimidation, of the other party in the conversation. This will help me avoid getting emotional.

Reference:
Patterson, K. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high, second edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kosmoski, G. J., & Pollack, D. R. (2005). Managing difficult, frustrating, and hostile conversations: Strategies for savvy administrators. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Baker, E. L., Menkens, A. J., & Porter, J. E. (2010). Managing the public health enterprise. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.