Trust Tip 3: Have Hard Conversations

Since February is the month of love, I thought we better talk about the hard stuff... Sometimes known as tough love…

What IS tough love? 

• Holding the line. 
• Speaking up.
• Holding someone accountable for their actions. 

Naturally, there is a wide spectrum when we consider what counts as "tough love." Today, we are going to talk about having tough conversations at work. 

In my Live course called “Building a High Trust Workplace”, I ask people to tell me about the behaviors of a trustworthy person, and you know what they say? 

They say that a trustworthy person is willing to…

• share the bad news
• hold people accountable 
• and speak up even if their opinion is unpopular  

I always find this surprising, but it's true. 

In order to be truly trustworthy, we have to be willing to speak up– respectfully of course– about the things that don’t feel right, and we have to be willing to share an unpopular opinion. 

Only when we do this, will people come to know that we are not harboring bad feelings, and we are NOT the kind of person who is silently stacking up a bunch of small offenses that will add up to big trouble later, and we’re NOT the kind of person who hides from the truth.  

Learning to speak up about the hard stuff in a way that maintains trust, is the key!

It’s not easy to do sometimes, so when you see the opportunity to address a tough issue, I urge you to…

• Pause, and take a few breaths
• and then consider the best way to deliver the message 

5 minutes of planning and preparation can save you a LOT of heartache!

Focus on being clear, kind, and concise.

And you’ll be a trust builder.