One of the biggest causes of problems (and the biggest loss of opportunities) in the business world – and in life – comes down to a lack of honest communication.
Much of this comes down to a lack of willingness to have the tough conversations. I’ve seen a lot of leaders and organizations avoid them.
Many without awareness. It’s the quickest route to turn a leader into a bottleneck.
Difficult conversations take immense courage.
It means being vulnerable. Being willing to venture into territory that may, frankly, feel unsafe.
You don’t know how these conversations will play out with the other person – or people.
Deep listening involves being open to the possibility that you may discover something about the situation – or even yourself – that you don’t like or is challenging.
People avoid these conversations in all kinds of ways. Often, they talk to someone else about a tricky situation, rather than the person involved.
That doesn’t resolve things.
It creates gossip. Allows you to be in the right by not opening up to information that might challenge your perceptions.
It’s like the joke about the man looking for his keys under the lamppost. He lost them in another spot but is looking under the lamppost because the light is better.
It’s easier to look there, but he’s not going to find them.
Criticism or talking to others about a problem with someone else is a red flag to take a deeper look at what’s going on and what action you need to take.
You won’t find the keys to effective communication under the lamppost. You have to be willing to go into the darkness.
#communication #LeadershipDevelopment #ConsciousLeadership #Mastery #PersonalDeveopment