21-02-2023
QUESTION Dear Emily, I’m a project manager and often hold meetings with my team to ensure tasks get completed on time and project timelines aren’t in jeopardy. Recently, one team member said he wasn’t going to meet his deadlines. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to call him out…
19-09-2022
Over the last three years, the world of learning and development has been turned upside down. Our “normal” ways of helping others learn crucial skills have been halted, changed, or disappeared altogether. Within our Crucial Learning community, we have certified trainers who anxiously moved …
15-07-2022
QUESTION Dear Justin, I recently did something hurtful to a family member. Shortly afterward, I said I was sorry but the person didn’t seem to accept my apology. I’ve tried to reach out but they are giving me a bit of a “cold shoulder.” They still seem bugged about what I did. I feel …
23-06-2022
QUESTION Dear Joseph, Could you please help me understand the practical use of the crucial accountability skill “CPR” for front-line supervisors on a manufacturing floor? It seems somewhat abstract to them when dealing with specific violations and our progressive discipline procedure. …
30-03-2023
QUESTION Dear Al, I have attended Crucial Conversations Training and try to practice the skills, but it’s difficult when the person I am trying to communicate with doesn’t “play along.” For example, when I try to ask how he or she is feeling or why he or she feels a certain way, I …
16-07-2021
QUESTION Dear Brittney, I have a staff member who is diagnosed with depression and anxiety. She also has a very low sense of self-esteem. Giving her constructive feedback on her performance is painful—for both of us. I have a hard time helping her feel safe when she seems to only focus on the…
08-12-2017
Being Micromanaged By: Joseph Grenny Dear Crucial Skills, My boss has started micromanaging me. She constantly asks me for updates. One morning, by 10 o’clock, I had already received ten e-mail messages from her and it took me an hour and a half just to reply to her requests for updates! To …
13-01-2016
Delivering Tough Performance Feedback Dear Joseph, I have an employee who has previous job experience as a manager but who took an entry level role to get into a full-time position with our company. This employee has been making progress learning our company’s policies and procedures and …
