If you lead other people, one of your best tools for developing their leadership skills is a directed conversation. These are conversations that are designed to deal with an issue or teach a skill or principle. Here are two tips for making these effective conversations:
- Clarify your intent. Let them know what you’re trying to accomplish. We often assume people know our intentions (because we know our intentions), but that’s not always the case. Just ask anyone who does marriage counseling!
- Clarify what’s at stake. Once you’ve shared with them your intentions, tell them why it’s important. Why do they need to have this conversation with you? What difference will it make? Could it make?
I’ve found that people respond much better when they have a sense of where you’re coming from and why.