Deliver difficult feedback

I recently had a couple people who work for me provide me with difficult feedback. Difficult for me to hear, and I'm sure it was difficult for them to say. If someone you work with needs feedback, even if it's difficult, be willing to provide it.

If you're not sure how to do that, I recommend starting with Crucial Conversations. It's the first step in becoming an Influencer, but it's also an important step in building the team you want to work in. You need to be willing and able to talk with your boss and peers about difficult topics.

Note, those two books are written by the same authors. I'm a fan of their work, and I've read "Crucial Conversations" around five times now. They've also written a book called Crucial Confrontations. I'm less of a fan of that book, but I only think that's because it seems like it's only a specific application of the general principles laid out in "Crucial Conversations."