Crucial Skills®

A Blog by Crucial Learning

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue

Finally Speaking Up

Dear Crucial Skills,

Many of us in our personal or professional lives have avoided crucial conversations, not just over weeks and months, but sometimes over years or even decades. How do we even begin to strategize about conversations that have been on the back burner for this long?

Signed,
Finally Speaking Up

Dear Finally,

I am inspired to see someone who has disempowered themselves for years finally own their agency. I think all of us are challenged to examine and improve ourselves when we see someone take such an enormous step. I salute you for taking this step yourself.

There are two fundamental principles you must not violate if you decide to finally step up to a crucial conversation after a long period of silence.

First, given that you have enabled the bad behavior of the other person for so long, you owe them some patience as you announce your intention to discontinue your willing submission of unacceptable circumstances.

Now, in saying this, let me be clear that I am absolutely not suggesting you tolerate abuse, malfeasance, or the ill effects of incompetence one second longer than today. I am simply suggesting that your enduring collusion in shaping the other person’s bad behavior places a responsibility on you to be understanding if they take some time to disentangle from this long practice.

For example, let’s say I’ve had a boss who has frequently been dishonest about expectations. He hypes the possibility of future raises, promotions, or opportunities in order to keep me motivated then appears to do little to make them happen. In the end, he’s always got an excuse and another fair promise for the future.

For years, I have simply grumbled under my breath or gossiped to others about his manipulative ways but never taken responsibility to either require other behavior from him or quit the relationship. As a recent Crucial Conversations grad I’ve decided to candidly express my concerns.

What I’m suggesting here is that while the crucial conversation may go well, you’d be foolish to lay down ultimatums expecting that his deeply entrenched behaviors may change instantly. My goal in the conversation should be to a) agree on ground rules—how he will and won’t treat me in the future; and b) agree on how I’ll respond if he transgresses these agreements. It is part “b” that acknowledges that you’re going to give him some time to adapt to the new reality, but also that you’ll hold him accountable. If your goal in the crucial conversation is to get him to stop immediately and never fall back into old ways, you are failing to give him the same allowance you had in bringing about your own change. You took years to adapt. Giving him a few weeks is only fair.

The second principle helps you Make It Safe while also Mastering Your Story in how you feel toward him. This is a principle of ownership. You must own the fact that the bad situation is not just about him, it’s also about you. As you begin the conversation, make it clear that there is a pattern the two of you have been involved in that you are committed to changing. Don’t blame him exclusively—own up to the fact that you’ve enabled it.

For example, you might begin, “I’d like to discuss something I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve been doing for many years. It’s been wrong of me to not speak up about it in the past but I’ve decided to do so now. I’ve blamed you for many years for it going on, and that has been unfair. I’ve been a part of the problem, and I don’t want to do that anymore. May I discuss this with you?”

Whether or not these are the perfect words, what I’m suggesting is that your “story” needs to be one that stops painting you as a victim and him as the villain. You need to take ownership. This will help you approach him as a reasonable, rational and decent person—someone kind of like you. In addition, you’ll Make It Safe for him because you’re approaching him as a normal, fallible human being, rather than as a reprobate villain. You’re approaching him with the utmost confidence that he, like you, can change. That expression of confidence is an enormous show of respect.

Now with all that said, you should expect him to go through a period of defensiveness. The first conversation may be confusing, upsetting, and provocative to him. If this is the case, don’t go in with the goal of solving it in one sitting but rather to open up the issue. Ask if you could just tee it up and then allow him to reflect on it and get together after a few days when he has collected his thoughts. It’s only fair—you had years to get ready to talk, you should allow him some time to adapt to the new reality as well.

With all that said, let me conclude that by no means am I suggesting that if you are being hurt physically or emotionally, or if others are being damaged by the other person’s actions, you should allow this to continue one day longer. In these instances you have an obligation to take a hard stand on what must happen now, while allowing for patience and adjustment in areas where you owe the person the same season for change that life has allowed you.

Thanks for your inspiring question—and best wishes as you change your world—and hopefully, that of others.

Best wishes,
Joseph

You can learn more insights and skills like this in Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue

6 thoughts on “Finally Speaking Up”

  1. Tweets that mention Crucial Skills » Finally Speaking Up -- Topsy.com

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  2. marilyn shapiro

    I am inspired by the courage this writer intends to demonstrate to change a situation that has been painful for a long time. It is columns like this one that teaches us all how to utilize the skills to make our lives what we want them to be.

    Thanks for your work, and thanks for providing ‘real life’ possibilities.
    Marilyn Shapiro

  3. Randy Stein

    Both parties to a crucial conversation must be motivated to “have the conversation”. With a long avoided crucial conversation, by the time you want to have the crucial conversation, your partner may not want to have it. Part of the ground rules must be to convince your partner that it is time to have the conversation.

    Your partner may just not want to deal with you or the crucial conversation. You must be prepared to be frustrated because you can’t force them to deal with you now.

    Have you ever discussed this related issue?

  4. Brenda

    Dear Kerry,Joseph, Ron, and Al,
    I always look forward to Wednesday mornings when I know the next Crucial Skills newsletter will be in my email inbox! I feel the study of Crucial Conversations has helped me in many of my relationships, but still when the stakes are really high, I don’t engage. I am afraid that I may make things worse. I lack confidence in myself to have some difficult conversations, especially with a superior. Can you address overcoming fear in a future article?

  5. Kathy Adams

    While I too acknowledge any of us for taking action after many years, I find it challenging to determine what my response would be if the behavior continues. In my case, I have an internal customer who I find treats me and others in very demeaning and cruel ways. I won’t quit a job I love because of this person. AND I don’t want to sound like I’m threatening with WHATEVER I indicate my response may be to this continued habit. So I’m left with little that I can say in terms of how I would respond if the behavior continues. Do you have some suggestions?

  6. Sue Favorite

    When Kerry answered “Faint of Heart” it was never mentioned about setting a good example in front of her daughter and the other women’s daughter. I feel the advise was good, but as a parent we have to remember that our children are watching. And when they watch us they will repeat our actions. I would suggest be the bigger person and set the right example for our children.

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