Difficult Managerial Conversations

Managers face difficult situations and conversations on a weekly basis. Managerial performance in these conversations is critical to managerial reputation and company culture. The adage that employees quit managers, not companies, is a reminder these difficult conversations are critical drivers of the level of employee engagement and the rate of talent attrition at an organization. Immersing oneself in simulations of difficult conversations to build muscle memory via practice and feedback is the approach used by expensive coaches for the chief executive officers of large organizations. Those who do not have access to such coaches use generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a leveling technology that enables all learners to get access to practice and intensive feedback for these difficult conversations. In this course, we cover a limited number of these difficult conversations, including addressing unacceptable performance from an individual; correcting poor diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging behaviors; firing an employee; resolving conflict between two or more employees; delivering an inspiring speech at a critical moment in a project; and two or three other situations based on the collective interests from the students in the course. Students read about the theory underlying motivation and individual behaviors in these situations, practice the situations, improve performance based on the structured feedback provided, and reflect on further possibilities for improvement and transformation.