How to Stop the Gossip Chain
Visit the Crucial Skills blog to read Joseph Grenny’s answer to this question: What is the best way to present indirect or hearsay facts in a crucial conversation?
Posts by Joseph Grenny
How to Change Social Norms at the Office
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, I moved to a new branch a year ago and am managing a new team of people. The long-standing norm has been to allow staff to spend time …
How to Let Others Learn the Hard Way
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, My sister-in-law is in a cycle of denial and anger at having lost her home and many possessions. She is also on the verge of losing her business. She …
Financial Family Feuds
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, I come from a close family. We’ve all had decent jobs and live comfortable lifestyles. However, since my brother lost his job a few years ago, he and his …
Weighing Your Options
Dear Crucial Skills, Ten of us are struggling with how to deal with the bad behavior of our boss. Most of us are contemplating leaving this really good company because of it. Two others have quit already because of the bad and even abusive behavior and told the HR director and CEO. Nothing has changed. …
Life After a Layoff
Dear Crucial Skills, I was very surprised earlier this year to lose my job of 20 years as a registered nurse in a layoff. I had been repeatedly reassured that I would be safe earlier in the year. Is there anything I can be sure to bring up with a new employer to avoid this …
Look for Progress, Not Perfection
Dear Crucial Skills, Is it okay to admit you may not be ready to handle every crucial conversation? Recently, I had an incident that did not turn out well. An acquaintance approached me with a raised voice, inappropriate language and a pointed finger in a very public place. I immediately went to silence and could …
How to Influence Bad Behavior
Dear Crucial Skills, What do you do about folks who absolutely refuse to take responsibility for their own behavior? One of my colleagues frequently behaves disrespectfully and even aggressively toward others—including myself. A number of us have spoken with him about his behavior. At times he’s defensive and denies the problem—but at other times he’ll …
Don't Blame the Spouse
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, What do I do if a team member blames a family member for problems? We have someone who is on flex time to help with child care. A number …
Getting Through to Your Teenager
Dear Crucial Skills, I have been noticing lately that nearly every conversation I have with my fifteen-year-old daughter turns crucial very quickly. Innocent suggestions, requests for help, questions about school—many, many topics are too close to the skin for my daughter. And despite my best efforts to “start with heart” and “make it safe,” I …