My go to when given half a chance is to extol the virtues of finding small ways to improve how we interact with others and to make this process part of day-to-day life. Not for everything – for most things, being good enough is… good enough. But I believe there will always be times where it would be useful (and often crucial) to interact more effectively.
Recently I was struggling to help someone understand this concept so I decided to share something I’d noticed about them that, while potentially feeling like a personal slight, could also have an adverse impact on the team they were trying to build.
It was a conscious decision to provide this honesty based on what I’d picked up about their motivation – they were more motivated to do a good job in their new role than they were about losing face with me in a confidential 1-1 setting.
Honesty works. But it works best I think when it meets the motivation to take it on board. Knowing what that motivation might be seems crucial.
Tony
If you’re interested in receiving our monthly Insights sign up here
