Do you avoid having awkward conversations? As a leader, what comes to mind when you think about, for example, making someone redundant?
I’ve had so many leaders ask me “What if they cry?” or “What if I open a can of worms and don’t know what to do?”
In this episode, I tell the story of what happened when I coached one large retail organisation through massive organisational change, and I share why making space for people to air their feelings out loud – even, and perhaps particularly, when the content is difficult – makes change much easier to manage.
Let’s think about:
- When you try to shut down people’s complaints and feelings down they don’t go away; in fact often they will just get stronger.
- People won’t be upset for long if they are feeling heard, but they can stay upset for years when they believe no one listened.
- Most people will make an internal shift for themselves if you give them a forum to be heard.
- You lose loyalty if you don’t allow people to have their feelings.
- If you want people to feel anything, you have to let them feel everything.
- The container matters – don’t let those worms wriggle free! Set up a safe container to hold space for people’s feelings.
And remember, when you show people compassion they will thank you, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
If this is a conversation you would like to continue, come over to https://noominatan.com/ and drop me a line. I’d be so happy to support you with this.
And remember, now is a great time to breathe.