What is your top leadership challenge? A recent informal study gathered data from 23,000 HR professionals, and they identified difficult conversations and feedback as their top leadership challenge. Today’s guest walks us through each of the 5 C’s of difficult conversations. Join us to learn how to ready your mindset for difficult conversations so you can thrive as a coach and leader!
Maren Perry is the founder and CEO of Arden Coaching, a B2B leadership development firm she started in New York in 2007, when coaching was a largely unknown field. Today, Arden is a national firm of 40-plus Professional and Master Certified Coaches serving CHROs, VPs of HR, and directors of leadership and development at mid-market organizations across engineering, construction, finance, healthcare, and tech. Some of their clients include Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Mars/Wrigley, ZipRecruiter, BetMGM, and JLL. With a background in cognitive science and thousands of coaching hours at the senior executive level, Maren and her team specialize in developing technically brilliant people into leaders who build high-performing teams.
Show Highlights:
- Maren’s journey to clarity about the real problem in having difficult conversations for HR professionals
- The truth: People are desperate for feedback. (and it’s kind to offer feedback!)
- The 5 C’s to prepare for difficult conversations:
- Courage–Have difficult conversations, even when you are fearful about it.
- Clear–Clear yourself of stories (that might be true or untrue) and emotions first.
- Collaborative–This mindset is to “sit on the same side of the table.”
- Certain–Go into the conversation with clarity and certainty, not stubbornness.
- Curious–Curiosity is key for coaches and leaders; leave space to be wrong.
- Transformations in using the 5 C’s framework
- A key takeaway from Maren: “Practice the 5 C’s of difficult conversations. No one gets better without practicing.”
Resources:
Connect with Maren Perry: Website and LinkedIn
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