Next steps

Difficult situations don't just pop out of nowhere.…They usually build over time, and often over quite a long time.…While you can use this process for handling difficult conversations, it's…even better to prevent them from developing in the first place.…This is true no matter what type of relationship you have.…These strategies will work for employees and supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family.…They also work for clients and customers, shareholders, and board members.…Essentially you want to create better and more frequent opportunities for authentic…communication and feedback. If you have those in place, situations…can get handled early in their development before they become burdened…with too much concern or attachment. First, build frequent opportunities for communication.…

Whether this is weekly, monthly, or quarterly, setting a specific time for…checking in is valuable. The frequency should correlate to the…importance of your relationship, or the stakes of your work together.…