Page 228 - Fearless Leadership

Talking Straight Responsibly 215

If you have a concern, it is likely that the other person has a similar con-
cern. And your concerns may have spilled over into the team. Either way,
you must address the issue quickly so residual damage does not occur.
Do not expect every straight talk conversation to instantly produce the
result you want. People need time to think about what you said. You may
find that you need to clean up and apologize for your impact more than
once. Sometimes others may not take accountability, but that should not
dissuade you from having the conversation. They must trust that what you
are saying is authentic and genuine. Remember that the outcome you are
seeking is to strengthen the partnership.
You can encourage others to express their concerns by asking these
questions:

• How did I impact you and others?
• What concerns do you have that I need to understand?
• Where do I need to take accountability and correct my behavior?
• What do you want to say to me that you feel I haven’t been
listening to?
• Where do I need to clean up with you and/or others?

Align on Future Action

The good news about breakdowns is that it gives you an opportunity to
have a difficult conversation and strengthen your partnership. All relation-
ships have rough spots and breakdowns; what separates traditional teams
from high performing teams is how quickly they recover and resolve issues.
An important point to remember is this: members of high performing
teams include one another in how they resolve a breakdown so everyone
knows the issue has been addressed.
When there is a breakdown between two or more team members that
is handled offline, it is important that the team as a whole be included as
soon as possible. Making private conversations public is a practice of com-
mitted partners because it clears up any issues that get in the way of effi-
cient team alignment. Committed partners keep everyone informed when
breakdowns occur and when they have been resolved. People do not need
to know the specifics about a breakdown, but they do need to know that
it has been addressed.