ABOUT THE AUTHOR Al Switzler is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, At our company, management has the option of being flexible with certain time-off guidelines. Other bosses are quite flexible, while my boss is very restrictive. I also think she …

Dear Crucial Skills, After ten years of not speaking, I made the crucial call to my sister-in-law. Even though I wrote down what I wanted to say, my voice still cracked when I said, “I need to level with you about something and I feel bad about doing it so late. I had concerns and …

Dear Crucial Skills, I work in the HR department for a consulting company. I have worked there for almost eight months and I’ve noticed an ongoing issue with communication—or the lack thereof. On a weekly basis, I discover problems that could have been easily prevented with proper communication. How do I ask my managers to …

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 …

Dear Crucial Skills, When reading the concerns of “Tired of the Attitude” and your recommendations to her, I couldn’t help but think of the many times I have tried to follow the recommendations given in the Crucial Conversations literature—begin with the facts, make it safe, etc.—and I find myself in the middle of a defensive …

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Al Switzler is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, Work at the office has been piling up! Like a lot of companies in this economy, we have had to lay people off and as a result, my coworkers …

Dear Crucial Skills, Recently, my teenage daughter got her first “real” job as a dog washer at a pet store. She has been deliriously happy with the job and has worked very conscientiously at it (as far as I can tell). However, last weekend, she was reprimanded by her manager. A customer complained about two …

Dear Crucial Skills, Why is direct talk bad? I’m not talking about rudeness or offering my opinion. I’m talking about saying things without adding “cushioning” words. It’s not well received when we speak directly and to the point. This isn’t about passing judgment on someone and voicing those judgments. It’s about getting work done. A …

Dear Crucial Skills, I have read Crucial Conversations and greatly enjoyed it. However, I’m having difficulty knowing what to do with my mother-in-law when she makes snide remarks in group settings about me. We’ve had discussions before where she has blown up emotionally, and I don’t want to cause a scene. Do you have any …

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ron McMillan is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, I supervise a qualified employee with an attitude problem. She can easily do the work required of her and do it well—if she’s in the right mood. I have …