Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash
This is Part Two of a piece on accountability conversations. If you haven’t read the original piece, you can find it here. You can also find a free PDF worksheet, 5 Reasons to Tackle That Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding here.
Quick recap: Many of us find oodles of ways to avoid having conversations focused on holding someone else accountable. And yet, there are so many situations that could use such a conversation:
Your co-worker always shows up eight minutes late for your weekly team calls. Meanwhile, the rest of you spend that time making idle chitchat.
Your neighbor’s dog barks all night long. Every night.
Your daughter leaves dishes in the sink, right after you’ve finished the dishes.
Your direct report is a lovely person who just happens to have a chronic backlog of overdue assignments.
In my previous post, I offered some reasons why we might avoid these conversations. To sum them up, it’s mostly about awkwardness and discomfort.
I also suggested some reasons why tackling these conversations is something you could be embracing, rather than avoiding.
And I promised to share a formula that would help you to get clear about what you need to say, adopt a mindset of curiousity and summon the confidence to launch the conversation.
I’ve changed my mind. But only partially.
Instead, I’m offering an infographic that lists dos and don’t for successfully having what I call an Alignment Conversation. The dos are based on coaching hundreds of people to prepare for and hold these conversations. The don’ts are based on my own and others’ experience of what’s likely to backfire. Painful lessons!
Here goes. Have questions or examples? Please leave them in the comments box. And do you like the infographic format? I’m experimenting with different ways of presenting information.
Wishing you great success with your Alignment Conversation!
