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Have you had any “crucial conversations” lately? A crucial conversation can be defined as one where the stakes are high, emotions run strong, there are different opinions, and the outcome will have a significant impact in the lives of those involved.
Here’s an example: Imagine you are a manager, and you have an employee who is not being truthful with you. Records are lost, money is missing, reports are doctored—and now you must have a crucial conversation with this employee about these issues. The stakes are high—the employee could be fired—and you are already feeling the emotions of such a conversation in advance. How do you handle this crucial conversation?
People who get things done and are effective, are those who know how to handle crucial conversations. As Christ-followers we should always speak the truth in love, and that just means you hold these crucial conversations for the purpose of righting a wrong, and also helping another person understand where change is needed. You speak the truth with the right motivation.
So, step one, as always, is to give this crucial conversation prayer time. We have such a wonderful advantage as believers in Christ, because we have the power of prayer. If you will pray in advance, asking for wisdom, making certain your motivation is one of helping not blaming or condemning, asking God to help you see this person as he does, it will make a huge difference in how you handle that conversation.
I truly hope you’ve learned to pray about every situation you face on your job. Too often we segregate our work world from our spiritual life, and just try to take care of everything on our own. But when we do, we miss the great advantage that is ours because we belong to Jesus. So, if you’re facing a crucial conversation, spend time praying about it. Believe me, that will give you the confidence and insight you need for that conversation.