Articles
Balance Curve publishes articles designed to support and assist our clients. Some of our articles are found below and on LinkedIn.
All Skills Development
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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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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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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Becoming a better listener
Being a great listener is a powerful skill that has many benefits. It helps you build trust. When people feel heard, they will then listen to what you have to say. When people feel heard, they appreciate you. And if you are a leader, when people feel heard, they will be more likely to follow…
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Using Performance Reviews to Motivate and Engage
If you aim to create a high performance culture then you need to be thinking and talking about performance all the time. I advocate that leaders should have regular performance review meetings with their team members. The frequency of the meetings depends on the experience of the team member but, for most, monthly or quarterly…
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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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What are hard conversations and why should you have them?
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. As a leader – whether that be as CEO or part of senior management, or a leader within your team or thought leader within your organisation – being skilled in dealing with conflict and having uncomfortable conversations has enormous benefits. Hard conversations are the conversations that you find uncomfortable,…
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Productive Team Meetings – How to stop wasting time and money
This is the sixth in a series of short articles I am writing to assist leaders create and sustain high performing teams. Whether you are a CEO or a Project Team Leader, creating and maintaining a great team is a constant challenge. These articles are designed to help. This article was written with Dr John…
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