In this podcast, we continue our series exploring the pillars of my new book, Become a Global Leader. Today we focus on a capability that every global leader should master if they want real impact in their career and leadership growth: bridge challenging conversations.
Challenging conversations appear in every organisation, every industry and every team. What distinguishes a global leader with strong communication skills and cultural intelligence is how to navigate these situations.
In this episode, I guide you through the foundations you need before stepping onto the challenging conversation bridge, my framework to resolve conflict, including designing purposeful conversations, understanding the cultural angles in disagreements and turning up your empathy radar so you can move away from division and towards solutions.
You'll also hear why openness must come first in any difficult dialogue, how to ladder up to a common goal to reduce friction and create alignment and why adopting an innovation mindset helps you move from conflict to future-focused collaboration. We then explore Listening 101, a practical approach to intelligent listening that supports better leader communication, how to refocus when you're distracted and how to get others' attention when they are not listening to you. Finally, we look at communicating boundaries, why saying no is hard and how to say it clearly and assertively without damaging relationships, especially in culturally diverse settings.
In this episode:
- The elements needed to bridge challenging conversations
- Designing conversations with cultural intelligence
- Why empathy is a foundation for productive dialogue
- Establish openness to dialogue to reduce resistance
- Ways to align around a shared objective
- The innovation mindset that unlocks solutions
- Intelligent listening strategies for stronger communication
Reflection Questions:
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Where could the challenging conversation bridge help you right now in your interactions?
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Which situation could benefit from intelligent listening strategies?
I always enjoy hearing what resonates with you, so feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and share your reflections!
If you haven't yet got your copy of my new bo
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