How to Have the Conversations You’ve Been Avoiding
2/17/202649 min
The awkward silence at work when everyone knows a project is going off the rails.
The simmering resentment in a marriage over an issue neither spouse will confront.
The dysfunction in a church where certain topics are understood to be off-limits.
My guest, Joseph Grenny, says that some of the biggest problems in every organization, from businesses to families, aren't the issues themselves, but people's inability to talk about them. Joseph is a business social scientist and consultant, and the co-author of the bestselling book Crucial Conversations. For decades, he’s studied why people shut down or blow up when the stakes are high, emotions are strong, and opinions differ.
Today on the show, we talk about what makes a conversation “crucial,” why our brains betray us in conflict, and how to escape the false choice between maintaining a relationship and speaking honestly. From figuring out what kind of conversation you need to have, to creating the right conditions for connection, to dealing with criticism, we unpack how to have the conversations you’ve been avoiding — at work, at home, and everywhere else.
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First 90 secondsBrett McKay· Host0:00
If you ever started something from scratch, a business, a podcast, a side project, you remember that moment right before you launch when the doubts start stacking up. "Is this a good idea? What if no one buys anything?" I remember that feeling well when I started The Art of Manliness. I didn't have some grand plan. I just decided to take the leap and figure things out as I went, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made. When it comes to actually running a business, especially selling things, the platform that we've used, and I recommend, is Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and about 10% of all e-commerce in the United States, from big household names to brands just getting started. I've used it myself to run the AOM Store, and it made it possible to build a professional online shop without hiring a developer. Shopify gives you hundreds of great-looking templates, built-in tools to help with product descriptions and photos, and an all-in-one system for payments, inventory, and analytics, so you're not juggling a dozen different platforms. As your business grows, Shopify grows with you. If you've been sitting on an idea, waiting for the right time, this is it. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com/manliness. That's shopify.com/manliness.
Speaker 11:03
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