Articles
Balance Curve publishes articles designed to support and assist our clients. Some of our articles are found below and on LinkedIn.
All Conflict Management
Failing to step up and have the hard conversation has consequences
My experience is that when leaders consistently avoid hard conversations, their colleagues, team members and bosses start suggesting they are not up to the job. Being known as somebody who won’t have these hard conversations damages your reputation as a leader. It’s useful to ask yourself, ‘What would people think of me as a leader…
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Effective Communication is Critical for High Performance
I recently spent a “Development Day” with a highly engaged group of Board Directors who were all committed to improving their performance as a team. Our focus for the day was on how the Directors could become more effective communicators. Research makes it clear that effective communication is critical for high performance, so we drew…
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The problem with silence
Last December I ran four of my Mastering Hard Conversations programs with a diverse group of leaders – two in a government agency and two in a not-for-profit organisation. Participants shared stories of stressful workplaces, destructive conflict, and dysfunctional, poor performing teams. A common theme was the failure of people to share their voice – to…
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Rebuilding Trust in Organisations – it doesn’t happen by magic!
Last year, I had the opportunity to work closely with several teams that were struggling to perform at their best. As I delved into the dynamics of each team, it became evident that a significant hurdle they faced was a breakdown in relationships stemming from a loss of trust. This challenge isn’t uncommon. Trust within…
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The Power of Curiosity and the Art of Asking Questions
Mastering Hard Conversations The Power of Curiosity & The Art of Asking Questions Communicating with “difficult” people can be a challenge. Whether you like it or not, there will be times when you must navigate uncomfortable conversations with people who have a different perspective to you. By bringing a mindset of curiosity to the situation,…
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Anticipating and dealing with objections
It’s easy to be thrown off-balance during a hard conversation. Sometimes you’ll prepare for the conversation and think you’ve got it under control and then find yourself blindsided. An unexpected question or objection completely throws you off-balance. Suddenly what seemed simple becomes complicated, and you feel completely out of control. To prepare well for a…
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Resolving disputes – Finding Common Ground
Sometimes you will find yourself involved in a dispute or conflict at work. Despite your best efforts to explain your position and be reasonable, the other person will simply refuse to budge. It can make your life, and the life of those around you miserable. What can you do in these sorts of situations? “Find…
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When people choose silence, rather than expressing their issues, organisations lose
Leaders are expected to not only have hard conversations, but also do them well. And this is the expectation in the private and public sectors. The New South Wales Government, for example, has developed a set of capabilities – the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework – used to help develop their leaders. Many of the…
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Mastering Hard Conversations – The Art of Self-Reflection
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. Whether you like it or not, there will be times when you must navigate uncomfortable conversations and make tough decisions. The first step in becoming better at this is becoming good at the art of self-reflection. That is, understanding what’s going on for you in relation to the situation…
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What makes hard conversations hard?
We ask this question in our Mastering Hard Conversations program because often people don’t give it a great deal of thought and we find understanding what is causing discomfort is very useful. Some common responses in our workshops include: ‘I don’t like conflict.’ ‘Hard conversations put the relationship at risk, and I value the relationship.’…
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