Page 146 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

MAKING YOUR WORDS COUNT

times I’ve coached a leader who has to deliver a tough
message to someone, and it’s very clear that if she had
addressed the issue with the person when it first surfaced,
discussing it would have been much easier for both of
them. Most of the time, the longer you wait, the more
emotional the conversation will be. And the irony is that
when you do have these conversations, and they are done
skillfully with good intentions, they often lift the tension,
reduce the stress, and create greater mutual respect and
trust between you and the individual.
I think Hillary knew that in her role as secretary of
state, she would need the members of her team to be able
to have these difficult conversations with her and with
one another. In one of her early talks to the employees in
the State Department, she encouraged people to speak up
and share their views honestly. She said, “I want you to
give me the best advice you can. I want you to understand
there is nothing that I welcome more than a good debate
and the kind of dialogue that will make us better.” She
later closed that meeting by saying, “So . . . we need to
have a sense of openness and candor in this building. And
I invite that. Now, not everyone’s ideas will make it into
policy, but we will be better because we have heard from
you.” If you can establish this same kind of candor with
your team, you will be laying the foundation for having
difficult conversations that are part of the awesome com-
munication of resilient leaders.

x 135 z