Real change requires real conversations

The old saying “make friends before you need them” is truer in business than ever before.

As managers face the crisis of the “Great Resignation,” they’re struggling to retain top talent or maintain the morale of those left behind. We need strategies that help us build trust and respect in the best of times so that in the worst of times, we can benefit from better collaboration, innovation and resilience.

Too often, individuals view conversations as merely a means to an end. Employees and managers approach each other only when they need something or when there is a crisis. Why is this? Well, most often conversations arise out of necessity, such as when there is bad news to communicate about layoffs or poor performance. But that reactive and transactional approach to internal dialogue causes people to fear conversation–and even avoid it as much as possible.

But what if consistent, structured conversation was the secret to unlocking trust, belonging and inclusion within an organization?