Justin’s bio
As many of you know, on Tuesday we’ll launch a new version of our Influencer course, now called Crucial Influence. The materials, the videos, and the instructional design all have a new look, but the changes go deeper than style. During the development, I spent many hours diving into the most credible social science research …
Dear Crucial Skills, Each day I plan to complete three major tasks, three thirty-minute tasks, and a few five- to ten-minute tasks. I can squeeze in some five- to ten-minute tasks in between my major tasks, but now my thirty-minute tasks have piled up because they never make it to the top of my list. …
Each month we receive dozens of questions from readers earnestly seeking advice on how to handle some of the toughest problems in their lives. Last week I was reading over the questions and noticed that many shared a theme: defensiveness. Almost everyone was dealing with someone who, in their eyes, was VERY defensive, and they didn’t know how to talk to them, influence them, or help them. So I’d like to share what we know about defensive behavior and how you can respond to it.
What can you do if you’ve had successful Crucial Conversations with the same person several times but the behavior persists? We discuss the issues, the conversation goes well, but they never change. How should I handle the next Crucial Conversation, which may be around the corner?
“Don’t just do something. Sit there.” When it comes to training that changes behavior, it turns out that reflection is a necessary ingredient. A 2015 Harvard Business Review article explains that reflection increases engagement, and it reiterates what we’ve known for a long time: reflection has a big impact on transference of skills learned in …
I’m in a relationship where I find myself constantly apologizing and I’m starting to feel like a doormat. Do you have any advice?
In a world full of distractions, how do you focus on the ‘right’ things?
We are so excited to announce the refresh of our Getting Things Done (GTD) course. We’ve modernized the look and feel, updated key exercises, and created a more seamless delivery experience for trainers, regardless of whether you’re facilitating virtually or in person, or leading a blended cohort. Leading this refresh over the past nine months, …
How do you ask someone “What is your problem with me?” without prompting a blowup or defensive behavior?
How do you handle a situation with someone who refuses to quit a bad behavior? I have spoken with them about it several times and nothing has changed.
