(E3) The difficult conversation expert Louisa Clarke

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had to have that difficult conversation. Whether it’s giving bad news, tackling poor performance, or just telling someone something that you know they’re unlikely to be happy with.Whether you’re a people pleaser or worried about the knock-on effect of what you say to others, if you don’t get comfortable with tackling the challenging things - if you don’t call out the things that need to be said - it can have a profound impact on you, your integrity, your reputation and the trust that you’re trying to build with your teams.The context, nature and dynamics of the conversations you have will change the more senior you are in an organisation and not everyone is prepared for that.In this episode I’m talking to Louisa Clarke, a difficult conversation specialist and founder of Confidently There, which helps organisations to develop their verbal communications culture. We talk about:What is a difficult conversationThe internal signals you need to pay attention toThe impact of not having THOSE conversationsRestorative practice to encourage open conversationsThe role of the executive team How to tackle people-pleasing and historic baggageHow to nature of difficult conversations might change as you shift from subject expert to organisational leaderHow humanity can help you to navigate challenging situationsNaming the elephant in the roomResponding to difficult conversations or feedbackThe one thing to remember to ace those difficult conversationsResources and helpful linksDifficult Conversations Checklist Louisa Clarke LinkedInDr Becky Kennedy InstagramYou might also be interested in listening to our How to Take the Lead episode on difficult conversations. If you want to transform your leadership impact book a free consultation call with me About LouisaLouisa describes herself as a difficult conversation specialist. She works with values-led organisations on their verbal communication culture, specifically upskilling individuals and teams to feel better equipped to lean in and have the difficult conversations in a way that is as ethical as it is effective. In her work Louisa disrupts the notion that we have to choose between being impactful and being kind. Her work challenges the idea that we must choose between prioritising high performance OR wellbeing, choose between being powerful OR having integrity. @confidentlythere on Instagram Louisa's Website About leaders with impactWant to know the secret of great leaders? In Leaders with impact we'll be exploring what makes an impactful leader; sharing stories of success and strategies that set them apart.If you are ambitious for your organisation but are struggling to identify what you can do differently as a leader to deliver the right improvements, then hit subscribe to learn how you can get clear on your strategy, implement some self-leadership and connect with those you serve.New episodes are released every fortnight. Get in touchIf you enjoyed the episode please leave a review on Apple podcasts (or your app of choice) and let me know what you thought on LinkedIn or instagram. I’ll be back with the next episode in two weeks so in the meantime remember to sign up to my newsletter to get notified of new episodes, guest appearances and further insights on how to lead with impact.