The Fast Company Executive Board is a private, fee-based network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. BY Magdalena Nowicka Mook We ...

In business, leadership, and personal relationships, the ability to manage difficult conversations is a critical skill. Whether it is addressing underperformance, negotiating a contract, delivering ...

Sometimes you need to have a difficult conversation with a coworker. Perhaps they did something to upset you, or perhaps they engage in an ongoing behavior that is troublesome. These conversations are ...

Many professionals struggle with difficult conversations in the workplace, particularly when emotions run high. Your first performance review, for example, was probably uncomfortable. Here’s why. What ...

This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry leaders, innovators and strategists distill years of experience into direct, practical takeaways and deliver clarity on the issues ...

Whether it is in the workplace or at home, we have all experienced times when we are at an impasse with someone. We simply can’t find a way to have a productive dialog. Every one of our attempts to ...

I have been working in campus law enforcement for over 40 years; 35 of them as a supervisor or director. When it comes to addressing personnel issues, I have a lot of experience. Managing people is, ...

Difficult conversations — whether you’re telling a client the project is delayed or presiding over an unenthusiastic performance review — are an inevitable part of management. How should you prepare ...

I was traveling in the days immediately following Oct. 7, 2023, and consequently had my TA teaching my doctoral research methods class that week. When I returned the following week, I started the ...