In February, Kate Damato of KimbleCo attended the national CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Network Leadership Summit. This event brings together members from all over the country from various fields in commercial real estate. The theme this year was around having crucial conversations. Because transparency and communication is one of our company’s core values, we found this theme to be applicable to us and how we operate as a company.
We find ourselves having crucial conversations when we are giving advice to our clients, negotiating deals and even when we work together as a team. Most of the time it is when we are telling one another what we need to hear, not so much what we want to hear.
Karen Curow with Compass International shared some excellent tips on how to identify and prepare for crucial conversations whether they are in a professional or personal setting.
What is a crucial conversation anyway? It’s a conversation that matters, feels risky, is emotional and has some history behind it. Your mindset makes a huge impact to the direction the conversation can go. For the greatest impact and ease, be aware of the stories you tell yourself about you or the other person. What can you do to shift those stories to remove your pre-conceived notions?
Some examples of what NOT to do include the following.
Ignoring or putting off the conversation
Speaking when you or the other person are ‘hot’
Letting guilt, fear or anger be the prevailing mood
Winging it
Going it alone
So, what can you do to get to a positive outcome?
Prepare yourself for the conversation by being clear with what you intend for the desired outcome and practice your must-say comments with a trusted colleague or friend
Find a way to keep it safe for both parties
Communicate clearly and completely
Ask questions AND listen to the answers
Clarify the next steps
While they are often very hard, crucial conversations help to build trust among teammates and in client relationships. We’d love to hear from you: what are some successful outcomes that you have experienced after you took the courage to engage in a crucial conversation?