insight : luann nigara
How Leaders Handle Hard Conversations
Avoiding hard conversations only makes problems worse. Instead, confront problems head-on using these tips BY LUANN NIGARA
O
wning a business often feels like you are the lead clown in a circus act. You know what I mean:
“In the center ring, we have Joe the Clown and the amazing spinning plates trick!” When you start a window treatment or an interior design business, it’s so much more than window treatments and design. It’s finances, marketing, social media, networking, hiring, etc. Each one of these is a plate that requires our attention to keep it spinning. Some of the most important plates we spin are our relationships. If you’re like me, that’s usually a good thing. I enjoy speaking with people, building those valued relationships, and swapping stories and conversations. But maintaining those
22 | MARCH + APRIL 2021
| wf-vision.com
relationships comes with the good, the bad and the ugly. When the ugly rears its head, you have to figure out how you’re going to handle it. As much as you might like to avoid conflict, you can’t be a business owner without having the tough conversations and using the art of conversation to work through them.
TAKING THE EASY PATH LEADS TO HARD TIMES
There are times where letting things go makes sense. There are also times when that is absolutely not possible if we want to maintain our integrity.
We’ve all faced a situation where a vendor makes an error (or, worse, repeated errors) that reflect on our company and credibility. When this happens, your reputation is on the line. Or what about when a
tradesperson speaks out of turn to your customer directly? They undermine or usurp you, or they create doubt about you and your directions.
And, as if the beast of a global pandemic wasn’t enough to deal with, it’s brought even more tough conversations for us. We’re facing new
extreme delays that we have no control over, creating tension, disappointment and uneasiness in customer relationships. It’s created anxiety and apprehension with employees regarding protocols in our business. Each employee has various levels of comfort, and we as business owners have to figure out those levels and determine whether or not we can work with them. We know we have to address these situations. When you avoid the tough
situations, you lose credibility as an
