Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult

Chapter 5Trust

The Meeting

When Ruth walked into the conference room she was surprised and thankful to see the entire team sitting there. Although she would have been fine if some had connected online, it encouraged her that they all thought it was important enough to be there in person. She knew that meeting virtually certainly had its benefits and, when done right by engaging people, could be useful and productive. But, she believed that in‐person meetings had the power to create more connection.

Ruth sat down and put the small statue of the elephant on the table in front of her. Some team members laughed, and others smiled as Ruth said, “Team, from now on we are going to deal with the elephants in the room and on our team and in our company. We are going to address issues and have conversations like we are having today much more frequently. Difficult conversations don't have to be difficult.” Then she stood up and grabbed a marker and wrote on the whiteboard, “Truth, Trust, Time, and Transformation.

Ruth continued, “The more we have conversations like this and implement the model I'm going to fully share with you right now, the better we will get at these conversations. The more we speak truth, the more it will lead to trust. The more we build trust over time, we will get stronger and better as a team, and that will lead to the transformation we want to see.” Next, she expressed encouragement and genuine gratitude for each person and their contribution to the shared vision ...